Erbil, Kurdistan Region – On Monday, the interior ministries of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region accused the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) of orchestrating a series of devastating bazaar fires across the provinces of Erbil, Duhok, and Kirkuk.

In recent months, numerous fires ravaged the bazaars in these areas, injuring hundreds, destroying shops and storage units, and causing millions of dollars in damages. The frequent and suspicious nature of these blazes raised suspicions of deliberate arson.

At a joint press conference, Iraqi and Kurdish interior ministry officials announced the results of a bilateral investigation, identifying the PKK as the culprits behind the fires. Three suspects have been arrested and have confessed to being PKK members.

Two of the arrested individuals are members of the Peshmerga’s Unit 70 forces, affiliated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), and the Sulaimani-based Counter-Terrorism Group (CTG), according to Hemin Mirany, chief of staff to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) interior ministry.

“The sponsoring and executing party of this topic is the PKK, which is a banned organization,” stated Miqdad Miri, spokesperson for Iraq’s interior ministry. He suggested that the PKK aimed to damage the commercial interests of Turkey and to destabilize the economy and security of the Kurdistan Region, thereby creating discontent among its populace.

Miri described the fires as part of a “systematic” and “organized” operation, where suspects used a flammable paste hidden in boxes of candy, cigarettes, and other goods. The material ignited after five to six hours.

The fires have caused approximately $300 million in material damage, Miri reported. “These incidents were not naturally occurring,” said Mirany. “They are aimed at damaging the economic status of people, angering the populace, harming incomes, and attempting to disrupt the relationship between the people and their government.”

The PKK, a Kurdish group that has engaged in an armed struggle against Turkey for decades, is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara. In March, Iraq also listed the PKK as a banned organization following discussions with Turkish officials.

According to Miri, the PKK had plans to target additional locations in Erbil, Duhok, Kirkuk, and Baghdad, including the Ceyhan pipeline from Kirkuk to Turkey, and intended to carry out similar operations in two neighboring countries. He linked the suspects to at least seven fires and two failed attempts to ignite a mall in Kirkuk in October and April.

In April, Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw indicated suspicions of arson after the city’s renowned Langa bazaar caught fire twice within two months. That same month, a massive blaze tore through Duhok’s Chale bazaar, destroying over 300 shops. In May, shopkeepers at Kirkuk’s Ottoman-era Qaysari bazaar voiced suspicions about the origin of a fire that broke out simultaneously in different parts of the market.

The joint investigation underscores the significant impact and calculated nature of the fires, highlighting the ongoing security challenges in the region.