Chairperson of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Devlet Bahçeli has said that if the need arises, President of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq Massoud Barzani should be captured and taken to Turkey, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported on Tuesday.
Speaking at a parliamentary group meeting of his party, the ultranationalist leader urged the capture of KRG President Barzani and underlined that they would also support a military operation from land and air targeting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which, he claimed, was making an effort to exert dominance over “Turkmeneli” (land of the Turkmens), which overlaps with predominantly Kurdish northern Iraq.
Bahçeli slammed the PKK for its activities “to deploy its militia in Kirkuk” and claimed that this was an alarming situation that would pose a threat to Turkey’s survival at the highest level.
The ultranationalist leader continued with his aggressive speech with a call for the extermination of both Kurdish security forces and militia, namely the peshmerga of the KRG and the militants of the PKK.
Using derogatory language Bahçeli said: “Although it is pleasing that the remnants of the peshmerga and PKK murderers are driven out of Kirkuk and exiled, neither Turkey nor Iraq should become complacent over this.” He also reportedly said that PKK militants and KRG peshmerga should be chased all the way to the end and exterminated.
Bahçeli recently said during a press conference that an independence referendum in northern Iraq must be seen as a reason for war for Turkey. “Turkey and Iran’s demands to launch air operations in October in Qandil and Sinjar have scared some people. Qandil must be flattened, traitors must be crushed. The fatal blow must be struck immediately. Barzani’s referendum including Turkmen cities must be opposed. If necessary, this must be seen as a reason for war. Whoever is thinking about the dynamics of Turkey’s division, his head must be chopped off. Barzani says the referendum will not be postponed, he claims they are founding a multi-religious state. We should show our national power and hang those trying to destroy our country,” he said.