ANKARA 

The PKK terrorist organization destroys the homes of the poor, collects taxes and engages in extortion in the region, a top official from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said Sunday.

The PKK has created problems with Iraq in Makhmour, Sinjar, the vicinity of Kirkuk and in the Khanaqin region, Safeen Dizayee, the head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, told the Erbil-based Kurdistan TV channel.

The KRG is an elected government and is responsible for these regions, Dizayee said, adding the PKK considers itself “an alternative.”

He said the PKK changes the names of some regions such as Qandil and criticized how the terrorist group claims the right to impose its will and collect taxes from the people.

"Who gave the right to change the names of these regions, to impose their own power, and to collect taxes and tributes from the people?" he added.

In a statement on Feb. 27, 2021, KRG Prime Minister Masoud Barzani emphasized that the authorities could not rebuild 800 villages because of the PKK, adding they would not tolerate the terror group's presence in the region.

PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq across Turkiye's southern border to plan terrorist attacks in Turkiye.

Turkiye's National Defense Ministry said it launched Operation Claw-Lock earlier this month after reports that the terrorist PKK was planning to launch a large-scale attack, adding the pre-emptive operation is in line with the UN Charter's principle of self-defense.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US and the European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.