Kurdistan’s Interior Minister denies existence of terrorist groups in border areas

Shafaq News / The Minister of Interior of the Kurdistan Region Rebar Ahmed denied, on Wednesday, the presence of terrorist groups in the Region’s border areas, in a clear reference to Kurdish parties opposing the regimes in Turkiye and Iran.

The minister's remarks came during his participation in a panel discussion on the sidelines of the eighth Sulaimani Forum.

Ahmed stated, "There are no terrorist groups in the border areas of the Kurdistan Region. Some countries use the term terrorism for certain groups, which stems from the opinions and policies of those countries." 

He added, "We in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have not labeled any of these organizations as terrorist."

Minister Ahmed further emphasized, "We do not accept the presence of any of these armed groups under the names of parties or armed factions on Iraqi and Kurdistan Region territories," adding, "However, each party has the freedom to label these groups."

The minister concluded by saying, "In the Region and Iraq, we give these groups an official name that differs from the opinion of neighboring countries."