President Barzani: The People of Kurdistan Will Defend Their Peaceful Mission and Just Cause with Iron Will

ARK News.. Today, Sunday, March 29, 2026, Masoud Barzani issued a strongly worded message to the federal authorities, emphasizing that the Kurdistan Region continues to suffer from "ongoing injustice and attacks" by outlawed groups, and stressing that mere statements of condemnation and investigative committees are no longer sufficient to stop these violations.

Full text of the message:

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

The Kurdistan Region has never been part of the conflicts, tensions, and wars sweeping the region; yet, unfortunately, there are groups of individuals—unchecked by anyone—who focus their efforts on opposing the Kurdistan Region by all means. They continually attack the region and the Peshmerga forces without justification, posing a threat to the lives and stability of the Kurdish people.

Over the past years, these groups have attacked Kurdistan and Peshmerga headquarters dozens of times unjustly, using drones and rockets, causing the martyrdom and injury of many innocents. Since the start of this war, they have launched more than 450 missile and drone attacks on the Kurdistan Region and Peshmerga bases. During this period, our headquarters itself has been attacked five times, yet we remained silent to avoid causing alarm or anger among the public. Yesterday, they attacked the residence of the Kurdistan Region’s president in Duhok. This is not merely about one house or a single person—every inch of Kurdistan and every Kurdish home is of great value to us.

These attacks represent blatant aggression and gross injustice against the Kurdistan Region, and they must be decisively stopped. In truth, such matters cannot be resolved with statements of condemnation, phone calls, telegrams, or committees. It is now up to the Iraqi authorities to decide: either they acknowledge their inability to prevent these outlawed groups, or they intervene seriously to protect the state and take firm measures to prevent such brazen attacks from recurring in the Kurdistan Region.

Here, we affirm that the people of Kurdistan will defend, with iron will, their peaceful mission and just cause. No threat, attack, or enemy will ever be able to break this resolve.

Masoud Barzani
March 29, 2026

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