Kurdistan Islamic Movement leader visits Turkey

ANKARA,— Irfan Ali Abdulaziz, the leader of the Kurdistan Islamic Movement (KIM) (Bizûtineweyî Îslamî le Kurdistan), a Kurdish political party based in Iraqi Kurdistan, met with Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz in Turkey on Thursday, according to a statement released by Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministry, in a brief post on X, did not disclose the topics discussed during the meeting. Abdulaziz’s office has also remained silent, releasing no public statements and failing to acknowledge the visit.

Later the Kurdistan Islamic Movement (KIM) has announced on Friday that its recent visit to Turkey was aimed at supporting the Kurdish peace process led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli.

In an official statement, KIM spokesperson Dr. Abdollah Werti said that the delegation, led by Irfan Ali Abdulaziz, had traveled to Turkey to discuss key regional developments, particularly in light of the ongoing instability in Syria, according to Voice of America (VOA) Kurdish.

“This visit comes at a critical time when the region is facing political and security challenges,” Werti said. “As a political party with a long history of involvement in national, religious, and political matters, we cannot remain indifferent to the significant changes unfolding in the region.”

“If this process succeeds, it will be a major step toward peace and stability, not only in Turkey but across the region, including Syria,” Werti added.

This meeting comes amid a series of recent engagements between Turkish officials and Iraqi Kurdish political figures. In December 21, 2024, Yilmaz met Salahaddin Bahaddin, the Secretary-General of the Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU). On January 7, 2025, he held talks with Shaswar Abdulwahid, the leader of the New Generation Movement.

Criticism of these interactions has grown among Kurdish activists. Many accuse Turkey of using such meetings to distract from its ongoing military actions against Kurdish forces and civilians in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) and in Iraqi Kurdistan.

On January 27, 2025 Turkish airstrikes targeted the border areas of Zakho and Chwarqurna in Iraqi Kurdistan, killing six civilians and injuring one. In Syrian Kurdistan, Turkish attacks throughout January have killed dozens civilians, including women and children, according to independent watchdogs.

The violence has drawn condemnation from human rights groups, who accuse Turkey and its Syrian Islamist allies of escalating aggression in Kurdish regions.