Massoud Barzani

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) leader Masoud Barzani has said Turkey sent arms to the Kurdish government in northern Iraq but requested that this not be made public.

Iran supplied weapons and ammunition to Iraqi Kurdish forces, Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) President Masoud Barzani said Aug. 25 at a joint press conference with Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Arbil.
   
"We asked for weapons and Iran was the first country to provide us with weapons," Barzani said.
   

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu worked through the night to avert a coup attempt in Iraq when special forces loyal to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and armored vehicles were deployed across strategic locations in Baghdad late Aug. 10.

Last week I shared the critical messages of Fuad Hussein, the chief of staff to Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Masoud Barzani, on the KRG's bid for independence and relations with Turkey. Now it’s time for his assessments on the region.

Independent Diyarbakır deputy Leyla Zana and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder have met with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani as part of their a week-long visit to northern Iraq.

Independent Diyarbakır deputy Leyla Zana and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder have travelled to northern Iraq for a week-long visit, during which they will hold talks with the leaders of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

Independent Diyarbakır deputy Leyla Zana and Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Istanbul deputy Sırrı Süreyya Önder have travelled to northern Iraq for a week-long visit, during which they will hold talks with the leaders of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

I met with Fuad Hussein, the chief of staff to President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Masoud Barzani in Istanbul right after their critical meetings with President Abdullah Gül, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu in Ankara July 14. Hussein was in Washington last week where he visited U.S.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani was to return from months of treatment abroad, with his crisis-hit country on the brink of breakup but his native Kurdistan buoyant with statehood hopes.        

The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in Iraq has dismissed claims that its leader, Masoud Barzani, is planning to take control of Mosul with the help of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Sunni Arabs.

The KDP released a statement on its website directly rejecting the claims of Cemil Bayık, a senior member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).