A PMU rioter burns the flag of Kurdistan outside the KDP office in Baghdad on Saturday, October 17, 2020. (Credit: Kurdistan24).
Rioters displaying the flags of Iranian-sponsored PMU militias stormed the headquarters of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (PDK) in Baghdad on Saturday. After setting the building on fire, a crowd gathered on the street outside to burn the flag of Kurdistan. The KDP is the ruling political party in the autonomous Kurdistan region of Northern Iraq.
Both Kurdish and American leaders reacted swiftly to the incident. The Council of Ministers in the Kurdistan capital of Erbil “strongly condemned” the attack and demanded that Iraqi authorities take “legal action against the culprits.” The US State Department also “strongly condemned” the attack, fingering the Iran-aligned PMU's for “destabilizing activity” during a “critical period” in Iraq, which is still recovering from the Coronavirus, an economic crisis, and the ongoing battle against the remnants of ISIS. Iraqi Prime Minister al-Kadhimi's national security council also released a statement condemning the attack, announcing the arrest of 15 participants and the “pursuit” of several more. Street protests broke out in Erbil on Saturday night as news of the PMU attack reached the Kurdistan region. Amateur video posted to social media showed the retaliatory burning of an Iraqi national flag.
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Tensions between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in the PMU's have risen the sharply this month after a rocket attack that targeted the Erbil International Airport on October 1st. The attack was immediately traced to an Iranian-aligned branch of the PMU’s just a few kilometers away from the border of the Kurdistan region. Although that attack cause no damage or casualties, it signaled a sharp escalation as the US military pivots from Baghdad to Erbil.
We ask the global FAI family to continue to pray for the peace and safety of the Kurdish people and the autonomous Kurdish regions in both Iraq and Syria. As the Islamist regimes of both Turkey and Iran continue to violate the borders of Kurdistan, we pray for courage that comes from unity and resolve. We pray for wisdom for Iraqi, Kurdish, and American leadership. And we pray that each instance of crisis and division would open doors for FAI field teams in Kurdistan to show the love of the Prince of Peace.
Maranatha
