VIENNA,— An Austrian court sentenced a 24-year-old Kurdish Syrian refugee to life in prison Wednesday for a 2025 knife attack in the southern town of Villach that killed a teenager and wounded five others.

A jury in the city of Klagenfurt unanimously found the man guilty of murder, five counts of attempted murder and terrorism-related offenses, media at the trial reported.

The defendant, who was not identified by name, was arrested minutes after stabbing a 14-year-old boy to death and injuring five other people with a jackknife in February 2025. He admitted carrying out the attack and pledging loyalty to Islamic State (IS/ISIS).

Prosecutors told the Klagenfurt court the man went through what they described as rapid radicalization through TikTok, a process that reportedly caught his own brother off guard, according to media covering the trial.

When the presiding judge asked through an interpreter whether he would repeat the attack if given the chance, the defendant nodded, national broadcaster ORF and news agency APA reported.

Court spokesman Christian Liebhauser-Karl told AFP the defendant said he was prepared to carry out such an act again at any time.

The defendant spoke little throughout proceedings. Strict security measures were in place, including a protective screen around him. Reporters were barred from bringing electronic devices into the courtroom.

He indicated he did not intend to appeal the sentence.

The attack marked the second deadly Islamist militant strike in Austria.

The first occurred in November 2020, when a gunman killed four people and injured 22 others in Vienna before police shot him dead.

The Klagenfurt trial, which opened Wednesday and was scheduled to run through Thursday, took place at the same time as proceedings against a 21-year-old charged with plotting an Islamist attack on a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024, a plot that was stopped before it could be carried out.

That defendant, identified as Beran A, pleaded guilty to charges tied to the concert plot but denied other charges related to a separate alleged scheme. A ruling in that case is expected Thursday.

(With files from Reuters | AFP)

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QAMISHLO, Syrian Kurdistan,— Syrian Kurdish political parties and movements on Monday rejected the results of a parliamentary selection process organized by authorities in Damascus in Hasaka on Sunday.

The announcement followed a ballot held a day earlier to choose members of Syria’s national parliament.

Local committees formed by Syria’s electoral commission carried out the process last October to appoint two thirds of a 210 member transitional assembly.

The electoral commission itself was appointed by interim President Ahmed al Sharaa.

The selection process was conducted under a temporary constitution that does not provide for direct elections.

In Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) and the southern province of Sweida, where Druze communities form a majority, were excluded because of tensions with Damascus.

At a press conference in Qamishlo, the main Kurdish city in northeastern Syria, representatives from 21 Kurdish political parties and movements criticized what they described as a centralized appointment system.

The groups included the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, identified as Syria’s strongest Kurdish party.

The representatives said the process reflected exclusion and marginalization through the appointment of selected figures. They stated that the individuals chosen during the process represented only themselves.

The parties and movements said a democratic Syria required an inclusive national political process that ensured fair representation and respected the free will of Syrians.

Before the ballot took place, the same groups said the mechanism failed to create a genuine democratic political system.

Nine representatives were selected on Sunday in Hasaka province, including two who were appointed by proclamation. Two additional representatives were selected in the Kobane area, also known as Ain al Arab, in Aleppo province.

The parliamentary process followed an agreement reached in January between Damascus and Kurdish authorities.

Under the agreement, Kurdish civilian and military institutions operating in northeastern Syria during the civil war would be integrated into the Syrian state.

No selection process was held in Sweida province because of continuing tensions with Damascus after sectarian violence in July last year.

Commenting on the process this month, Druze leader Hikmat al Hijri, who opposes Damascus and oversees armed factions in Sweida, repeated calls for autonomous administration in the province.

He said residents were best suited to manage their affairs and govern the region. Sharaa will appoint the remaining third of the members. Critics described the process as undemocratic.

(With files from AFP)

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HASAKA,— Voting took place Sunday in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), the predominantly Kurdish regions of northeastern Syria, to select representatives for the country’s transitional parliament after an agreement earlier this year to integrate the areas into the central government.

The ballot was part of a process launched last year that has faced criticism from opponents who describe it as undemocratic.

Members of local committees throughout Syria have been voting to choose lawmakers for the assembly, which will serve a renewable mandate of 30 months.

Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa is expected to appoint 70 members to the 210-seat parliament.

The remaining representatives are being selected by local committees that were appointed by the electoral commission. The commission itself was appointed by Sharaa.

State news agency SANA reported that Sunday’s vote involved seven representatives for sections of Hasakeh province.

Two additional seats in the area were filled without a vote because only two candidates sought the positions.

Voting was also underway for two parliamentary seats in the Kurdish-majority city of Kobane, also called Ain al-Arab, in Aleppo province.

In January, authorities in Damascus and Kurdish groups agreed to integrate Kurdish civilian and military institutions into the Syrian state.

During the civil war, the Kurds established a semi-autonomous administration across large areas of northeastern Syria.

The model emphasizes direct democracy, gender equality, secularism, and environmental sustainability. It has been widely recognized for advancing women’s participation in politics and local decision-making.

Several Kurdish parties criticized Sunday’s vote in a statement, saying the system used to form the legislature amounted to “nothing but an appointment process” and did not represent the “free Kurdish will.”

The parties also objected to the allocation of only four seats in the 210-member assembly to Kurds. They called for a larger number of seats to better represent Syria’s Kurdish population.

About two million Kurds live in Syria, most of them in the northeast.

In October 2025, Syria’s electoral commission announced the names of 119 assembly members out of the 140 positions to be filled through the voting process. Damascus has exclude the Kurds.

At that time, seats remained unfilled in Kurdish-held parts of Raqa and Hasaka provinces and in the Druze-majority province of Sweida because of what officials described as security reasons.

After Sunday’s vote, only Sweida, which is allocated three seats, will remain outside the process.

The situation follows sectarian violence in Sweida in July last year and tensions between Damascus and Druze leaders, including Hikmat al-Hijri, regarded as the Druze figure opposed to Damascus.

Last week, Hijri called for autonomous administration in Sweida and for the “right to self-determination.”

(With files from AFP)

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I know where the weapons are

Hendrên Sheikh Ragheb  | Exclusive to iKurd.net
Translated by iKurd.net from Kurdish Awene

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, strongly attacked the Kurds and said they have been “disappointed,” and that the weapons sent to them to be delivered to Iranian protesters have been kept by them instead.

On Monday, May 11, 2026, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, spoke at the White House about sending weapons to Iranian protesters.

He said Iranian people want to go out into the streets, but they have no weapons. He believed the Kurds would provide them with weapons, but added: “They disappointed us. The Kurds only take, take, and take.”

Trump also criticized the sympathy and trust that exists in the U.S. Congress toward the Kurds. He said the Kurds have a very strong reputation there, and that people in Congress say they fight very strongly. However, he argued: “No, they only fight well when they are paid well. That is why I am very disappointed in the Kurds.”

The above reflects the U.S. President’s remarks about the Kurds, the war in Iran, and the current situation. However, President Trump should honestly understand the truth: why are the Kurds not cooperating with you?

For forty years, the Kurds and the United States have been building trust and a strong relationship. They have taken many important steps together and achieved rare and significant successes. Together, they have passed through extremely difficult situations and shared struggles, change, and challenges.

However, after you began your second term as president, you appointed Tom Barrack, who is of Arab origin, as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and your representative in Syria.

That is when the Turks “hacked” Tom Barrack. With his involvement and what is described as his betrayal, the Western Kurdistan entity collapsed. Everything that had been built over forty years was destroyed. That is why the Kurds took a very serious and significant position after the collapse of the Western entity.

Do you know, President Trump, that the late Ali Larijani, Iran’s top official after the Supreme Leader, said in a press interview that the Kurds do not cooperate with the United States and do not attack the Iranian regime because the U.S. betrayed and “sold” them in Syria.

For that reason, the Kurds in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey are not fighting Iran on behalf of the United States.

If you had watched Larijani’s interview, Mr. President, you would not have spoken about disappointment in the Kurds or lost hope in them. Instead, you should call your representative and ask why he damaged the image and reality of the United States in the Middle East and Kurdistan.

I am telling you clearly: the Kurds in Iran are not afraid. They are afraid of betrayal after the fall of a regime, like what was done in Aleppo and in eastern Euphrates. The Kurds are not afraid of Iranian missiles or drones; they are afraid of the “dagger of betrayal” from Tom Barrack.

Now do not ask the Kurds for hope or weapons, because the weapons are with Tom Barrack and are entirely in his possession. Ask him and call him to find out what he did with those weapons. If it turns out that Tom Barrack is not aware of the weapons, then the situation is even worse, because what kind of U.S. representative in this region is unaware of the arrival and location of U.S. weapons?

President Trump, Tom Barrack has damaged the real strategy and position of the United States in the Middle East. How it can be corrected is up to you and your administration. We do not know.

Hendrên Sheikh Ragheb, a writer from Sulaimani, Iraqi Kurdistan.

This article was originally published in the Kurdish language in Awene Newspaper on May 11, 2026.

The opinions are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of iKurd.net or its editors.

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QAMISHLO,— A steady flow of Kurdish applicants filled a registration center set up inside a sports stadium hall in Qamishlo in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), where many gathered to seek Syrian citizenship after decades without legal recognition.

Among them was Firas Ahmad, who said the absence of citizenship had defined his family’s life. Holding papers and waiting in line, the 49-year-old described the limitations he faced.

“A person without citizenship is considered as good as dead,” he told AFP. He said he could not officially register his children or property. His grandfather also lived without citizenship, and the situation continued across generations.

Since last week, stateless Kurds have been arriving at centers across Syria following directions from the interior ministry. The new process allows individuals classified as “unregistered” to apply for citizenship.

Tables inside the hall were covered with forms, identification photos and older documents. Officials worked through long lines, recording details from applicants.

The policy follows a January decree issued by Islamist interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, granting citizenship to Kurds residing in Syria, including those excluded for decades.

The decree also affirms Kurdish cultural rights and recognizes the Kurdish language at the national level.

The announcement came after fighting between Kurdish forces and Syrian government Islamist troops.

Kurdish groups had controlled large areas in the northeast before reaching an agreement to merge their administration into the state.

As part of that arrangement, government troops entered Hasaka and Qamishlo in February.

In March, Kurdish commander Sipan Hamo was named assistant defense minister for the eastern region.

For years, the lack of citizenship limited basic rights. Many Kurds were unable to register births, claim property ownership, travel freely, study or secure employment.

“We suffered greatly,” said Galya Kalash, a mother of five. Speaking in Kurdish, she said her children could not complete school and the family was unable to travel. Their home remains unregistered.

The issue dates back to a 1962 census in Hasaka province that stripped about one fifth of Syria’s Kurds of nationality. Syria’s Kurdish population is estimated at around two million, mainly in the northeast.

Ali Mussa, from the Network of Statelessness Victims in Hasaka, told AFP that about 150,000 people remain without registration. He urged authorities to apply the new rules with flexibility and consider the situation of those living abroad.

He said some refugees in Europe may face difficulties returning due to their legal status or concerns about travel disruptions linked to regional conflict.

Authorities said the registration period is expected to last one month, with the possibility of an extension.

Abdallah al-Abdallah, a government civil affairs official, said obtaining citizenship is the main form of redress for those affected after years without legal status.

At the center, Mohammed Ayo, 56, explained how the lack of citizenship affected his daily life. He said he could not obtain a driver’s license or reserve a hotel room in Damascus because of required approvals.

“You study for many years, and in the end they say you have no certificate,” he said. After completing high school, he was unable to obtain documents needed for university.

He added that stateless individuals were excluded from voting and running for public office.

Established in 2018, the Autonomous Administration in Syrian Kurdistan oversees the region based on a system of democratic confederalism.

The Rojava model focuses on direct public participation, gender equality, secular governance and environmental protection. It has gained recognition for encouraging women to take part in political roles and community-level decision-making.

(With files from AFP)

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ABU DHABI/ERBIL,— The United Arab Emirates strongly condemned Iran’s missile attacks on military sites in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which killed and wounded dozens of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs called in a statement the strikes an unprovoked act of terrorism, labeling them a dangerous escalation and a clear violation of international law.

The ministry emphasized its full support for Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government, and backed all measures to protect security, safeguard citizens, and maintain stability.

Condolences were extended to the families of the martyrs, the governments, and the people of Iraq and Kurdistan, along with wishes for a rapid recovery for those injured.

Political analysts stressed that the UAE’s condemnation is driven by regional rivalry with Iran.

Henase Karim told iKurd.net News that Tehran has repeatedly striking UAE with missiles and drones since the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

She said the UAE’s statement reflects strategic calculation, not sympathy for the Kurds, noting, “That is why the UAE condemned the attacks, it is about Iran, not about supporting the Kurdish nation, Iran is not a Sunni Arab country.”

Karim also pointed to the UAE’s silence during previous attacks on Kurds in Syrian Kurdistan. In January 2026, Islamist militias under the Syrian interim government killed Kurdish civilians in Aleppo and Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava).

She said, the UAE did not specifically condemn the Syrian government’s attacks and mass killings on the non-Muslim minorities of Druze or Alawites. Instead, the UAE’s public stance has been more aligned with defending Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Human rights organizations tracking the conflict in Syrian Kurdistan report widespread atrocities against Kurdish civilians, including mass executions, sexual violence, arbitrary detentions, and the public sharing of abuse videos on social media.

Gulf Arab media framed Kurdish SDF forces as “terrorists” and separatists, ignoring civilian casualties.

Analysts highlighted that most Arab and Islamic states rarely denounce violence against Syrian Kurds.

Some even praised Syrian president Sharra, aka Golani, militants for killing Kurds.

In response, Iraqi Kurdistan banned several Arabic channels, including Al Arabiya, Al Hadath, and Al Jazeera, citing persistent anti-Kurdish bias.

The UAE’s statement is one of the few public Arab condemnations of attacks affecting Kurdish forces, reflecting geopolitical strategy and its broader opposition to Iran rather than genuine support for Kurdish communities.

The ruling Barzani clan in Iraqi Kurdistan maintains strong ties with UAE ruler and President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Reports indicate the Barzani family holds significant investments in the UAE, reinforcing the political and economic links behind the UAE’s stance.

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ERBIL,— Prominent Syrian Kurdish political leader Salih Muslim died at the age of 75 on Wednesday in a hospital in Iraqi Kurdistan region after suffering from health problems, his party said.

Within the Kurdish community he was widely respected and played a major role in shaping Kurdish politics in Syria.

The PYD said in a statement that Muslim had spent his life working for the interests of his people and protecting what it described as their legitimate rights.

The party added that he died in a hospital in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, after what it described as a long battle with illness.

Friends, supporters and members of the party gathered outside the hospital after news of his death to say goodbye to the longtime Kurdish figure.

A party official said Muslim’s body would be transported on Thursday to Syrian Kurdistan, where he will be buried.

Muslim was born in 1951 in the Kurdish city of Kobane, a place that later became known as a symbol of Kurdish fighters’ victory against Islamic State group militants in Syria.

After finishing secondary school in Syria, Muslim began studying chemical engineering at Istanbul Technical University in 1970 and graduated in 1977.

Following a short period in London, he worked as an engineer in Saudi Arabia from 1978 until 1990. In 1993 he opened an engineering office in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

The veteran Kurdish leader Muslim joined the Democratic Union Party PYD in 2003 shortly after it was formed and later became a member of its executive council.

In March 2004 he wrote a letter to Syrian President Bashar al Assad reacting to the Qamishlo massacre. Authorities arrested him after the letter and he spent seven months in prison.

During the Syrian civil war in 2012, Muslim helped establish the semi autonomous Kurdish region in northeast Syria. Kurdish groups in recent years have made concessions to Syria’s new Islamist authorities.

Turkey considers the PYD and its armed wing, the People’s Protection Units, or YPG, to be linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which has carried out a long insurgency against the Turkish state.

On October 9, 2013, Muslim’s son Shervan, a fighter with the YPG, was killed west of Gre Spi (Tel Abyad) in clashes with Islamic State militants ISIS. He was buried in Kobane during a public funeral attended by thousands of people.

The Autonomous Administration runs the Rojava region under a system based on democratic confederalism.

The framework promotes direct public participation in governance, gender equality, secular values and protection of the environment. It has also gained recognition for increasing the role of women in political life and in local decision making.

(With files from AFP | Agencies)

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DAMASCUS,— Syria’s defence ministry announced Tuesday that Sipan Hamo, a senior commander of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units YPG, has been named deputy defence minister for the country’s eastern region.

A ministry official said in a statement, “Sipan Hamo has been appointed Assistant Minister of Defence for the eastern region.”

The appointment comes as part of a U.S.-mediated integration deal signed on January 29, 2026 between Syrian Democratic Forces commander, Geneal Mazloum Abdi, and Syrian interim Islamist President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The YPG is the main force within the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which controlled nearly a third of Syria before government Islamist forces launched a rapid offensive in January, reclaiming large parts of the territory.

Hamo is considered a key figure in talks with the SDF’s future and its integration into a new national army after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad at the end of 2024.

The YPG serves as the de facto military of the Kurdish administration in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava).

In mid-January, Hamo told local media that the Kurds were not seeking secession and emphasized that they envisioned their future within Syria.

(With files from Reuters)

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Serwan Zangana | Exclusive to iKurd.net

The U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, expressed a view that was perceived as dangerous by many Arab and Muslim nations in the region, after he was asked in an interview with the host, Tucker Carlson, about the right of Israel to the Middle East.

As Carlson cited to Ambassador Huckabee that in Genesis 15, God sent a message to Abraham that his descendants will inherit the land from the Nile to the Euphrates River, which is much of the Middle East, however, Carlson asked Ambassador Huckabee if Israel had biblical rights to this land, which would include the entire region of the Middle East.

In response, Ambassador Huckabee said, “It would be fine if they took it all. But I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here today.” Obviously, the majority of U.S. politicians, including Ambassador Huckabee, believe in the ideological connection between Christianity and Judaism, with Israel being the follower of the biblical rules in retrieving Jews’ land. This ideological belief has been embraced by American evangelicals and most of the other Christian denominations in the U.S.

Huckabee’s response to Carlson was condemned by the nations in the region, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan. The leaders and officials of these nations said that Ambassador Huckabee’s statement was “Dangerous and inflammatory remarks,…and pose a grave threat to the security and stability of the region.”

The religious mindset of the American right-wing politicians, including Ambassador Huckabee, has been nurtured since Donald Trump’s victory in the White House. Generally, right-wing groups and individuals in the U.S. are embracing the religion of Christianity, and in fact, they perceive both Christianity and Judaism as one and Israel as the promised land of the Jews, according to some verses of the Bible.

Recently, conservatives and individuals from the right wing, including Tucker Carlson and former U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, distanced themselves from the extreme rhetoric and harsh language of prominent figures and politicians, including President Trump, and criticized the U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East.

Apparently, President Trump’s rhetoric, perhaps inadvertently, has incited his supporters in some circumstances to act violently, and further, such rhetoric became a source and citation for the right wing to be reviewed and followed by the public.

Obviously, Ambassador Huckabee’s comment on Israel ruling the Middle East emerged from his long-standing relationship with Israel. The wave of Christian politics in the U.S. is actively striving to further influence American society and implement Christian principles.

However, as the Arab and Muslim nations condemned Ambassador Huckabee and accused him of being an extremist and his remark, as the Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry described it, an “extremist rhetoric”, the same Arab and Muslim nations ignored condemning Syria’s radical President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Turkey’s extremist Recep Tayyip Erdogan for abridging the political rights of the Kurds and killing innocent Kurdish civilians in Syria.

The Arab League, which is composed of 22 countries, including Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Djibouti, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates, unanimously condemned Ambassador Huckabee and stated that the comment, “violated all the basic principles and established norms of diplomacy, as well as defying logic and reason.”

The American Evangelical Christians see today’s modern state of Israel, which was established in 1948, as biblical, and thus, the victory of the Jewish nation is guaranteed by God. Apparently, 82% of the White Evangelicals in America believe that Israel was given to the Jewish people by God. (Chicago Council on Global Affairs) Therefore, Ambassador Huckabee did not cross his line as he expressed his view to Carlson in embracing Christian Zionist beliefs.

However, with the Arab and Muslim nations’ condemnation of Ambassador Huckabee’s remark, Oman also said, “Threatened the prospects for peace.” But the questions that emerge are: Are the Christian Zionists posing a greater threat to the region or the radical Arab Muslims and Erdogan’s regime? What is the definition of peace in their perspective?

The radical Muslim and the Arab chauvinism have been a great threat to peace and stability in the region, and in the name of Islam, they impose the concept of Ummah, which means a unified community that shares the belief of Islam. The Arab nations are indeed applying such a concept to their society and clearly disregard other religions and ethnicities.

The attack on the Yazidi religious community in the Sinjar region of Iraqi Kurdistan and the sweep of their villages in 2014, by the Islamic State (ISIS), and the murder and kidnapping of nearly 12,000 Yazidis did not spark outrage or condemnation by the Arab Muslim nations.

The massacre of the Yazidis was condemned and classified as a genocide by many organizations and the Western countries, including the United Nations (UN), the European Parliament, the British Parliament, the Australian Parliament, the Canadian Parliament, the United States Congress, and the National Assembly of Armenia.

Obviously, the Arab and the Muslim nations, including Turkey, refrained from condemning or mentioning the atrocity perpetrated by (ISIS) against the Yazidis. In fact, in 2021, Iraq was the only country in the region to condemn the genocide of the Yazidis.

The Iraqi Parliament passed the “Yazidi Female Survivors” Bill, which classified the (ISIS) action against the Yazidis to be a genocide and provides assistance to the survivors. However, along with the Yazidis, the Bill does include Christians, Shabaks, and Turkmen as victims of genocide and crimes if attacks are perpetrated against them.

However, evaluating allies or enemies should be determined based on their views regarding the Kurdish ethnic and political identity, and in fact, the majority of the Arab Muslim nationals are in an opposing position regarding the Kurdish political identity in an independent land or an autonomous region. The simplest example is the Kurds in northeast Syria (Rojava) with an ongoing opposition against their legitimate rights to autonomy.

The issue is not only contained in one country of the region, but every Arab country believes that the independence of the Kurds is a threat per se. For example, the referendum of 2017, in which the Kurds voted for the independence of the Kurdistan region in Northern Iraq, sparked an outrage as the majority of the Arab Muslims promptly expressed their opposition to the idea of the referendum.

“Kurdish independence would be a poisoned sword against the Arabs,” Saeb Erekat, an adviser to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said.

In contrast, Israel was supportive of the referendum as the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, ”Israel supports the legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to achieve their own state.”

Mainly, the Arab Muslim leaders are becoming itchy to hear the idea of Kurdish independence and self-governing, as they embrace a chauvinistic and Islamic ideology, which is the tool they use to continue their domination in the region.

Now, the question is: Who poses a greater threat to the Kurds and the region, radical Arab Muslims or Israel? As history witnesses the heinous acts that have been committed against the Kurds by the Arab regimes and Islamic militias and groups, they are indeed the dire threat, not Israel.

Serwan Zangana, a contributing writer for iKurd.net, lives in Virginia, U.S. He serves as a correction officer.

The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of iKurd.net or its editorial team.

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SULAIMANI,— Bafel Talabani, president of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, met in Sulaimani city in Iraqi Kurdistan Region with Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, special envoy to Syria and President Donald Trump’s envoy for Iraqi affairs, along with General Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish forces in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), Talabani’s Press Office reported.

Qubad Talabani, a senior member of the PUK Political Bureau, attended the meeting.

The talks focused on the January 29 agreement between the Islamist administration in Damascus and Syrian Kurds.

Participants stressed the importance of carrying out the agreement and working together to remove obstacles blocking its implementation.

All sides underlined the need for a Syria that respects all its communities. They agreed to cooperate to help Syria become a constructive country in the region and in the international community.

PUK Media reported that General Abdi held a separate meeting with Bafel Talabani. During that discussion, Abdi spoke about his participation in the Munich Security Conference and reviewed the latest developments in Syria.

Abdi expressed appreciation for the PUK’s position and its support in the fight against terrorism.

Talabani said, “We will continue to stand by Rojava until Syria becomes a country in which all citizens enjoy their rights and representation, and where the government reflects the diversity of Syrian society.”

Talabani also held a separate meeting with Barrack. Qubad Talabani and Joshua Harris, the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Iraq, were present.

The meeting addressed the current political situation in Iraq and the wider region. A key issue was the formation of Iraq’s new government. Both sides agreed on the need to move forward on unresolved matters that have delayed the formation of the government in Baghdad.

They stressed that Iraq must remain prosperous, sovereign and independent.

Talabani said the PUK would continue to play an important role in Baghdad to help shape a future that serves all Iraqis.

PUK Media added that the participants agreed on the need to complete the formation of the new Kurdistan Regional Government cabinet.

They highlighted that current circumstances require a unified Kurdish voice in the Kurdistan Region and in Iraq.

(With files from PUK media)

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