HDP expresses concern over increasing ISIS attacks in South Kurdistan

The HDP called on the Kurdistan regional government and Iraqi central government to take adequate measures and the International Coalition to take an active role against ISIS’ new genocide attempts in southern Kurdistan (northern Iraq).

“The increased ISIS attacks in Iraq, especially in the Maxmur, Kirkuk and Shengal cities in South Kurdistan that are open to status debates, have put civilians living in the region in major jeopardy. We are monitoring developments closely,” HDP Foreign Relations Commission co-spokespersons Feleknas Uca and Hisyar Özsoy said in a statement on Tuesday.

“We expect both the Iraqi government forces and the Peshmerga to take adequate measures in coordination to protect civilians against ISIS attacks. It is an extremely delicate and primary issue to prevent another genocide like the one that ISIS had committed against the Yazidi Kurds in Shengal before. We also call on the International Coalition Against ISIS to take an active role against the increasing ISIS attacks in this region,” the statement said.

“As the HDP, we emphasize that civilians should not be left to the mercy of ISIS, al-Qaeda and similar fundamentalist organizations in Iraq or Syria, and we respectfully commemorate those who lost their lives while fighting these organizations,” it added.