Head of the party’s Baghdad office Shwan Muhammed Taha told a KDP-affiliated media outlet that the PMF had been calling on social media for action against the office for several days and had alerted the local security forces that an attack was likely, NRT reported.

The attackers lit fires in the building and burned posters and a Kurdistan flag outside the building.

Two Rudaw reporters were abducted while covering the scene.

The attack reportedly came in response to remarks made by KDP Politburo member Hoshyar Zebari on TV channel Al-Hurra on October 2 calling for the Green Zone to be cleared of the PMF and criticizing it for alleged responsibility for rocket attacks on diplomatic facilities.

In a statement to Alahad TV on Saturday, Zebari sought to clarify his remarks, saying that they were “misunderstood.”

“I meant cleaning the Green Zone, not that the [PMF] needs cleaning,” he said.

The attack brought condemnation from figures across the Kurdistan Region’s political spectrum.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said that “attacking the headquarters of a party that has been a major force in overthrowing Iraq’s dictatorship is an attack on the history of the joint struggle of the Kurds and the revolutionary Iraqi forces,” referencing the KDP’s long history of opposing the former Ba’athist regime.

Barzani described the PMF as an “outlawed” group and said that it was a “threat to peaceful coexistence.”

He urged the relevant authorities to launch an immediate and serious investigation into the attack and to take legal action.

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani tweeted that he “strongly [condemned] today’s violent attack on the KDP office in Baghdad and the burning of the Kurdistan flag.”

“I have spoken to PM [Kadhimi] and called for an immediate investigation and for the outlaws responsible to be held to account,” he added.

KDP leader Masoud Barzani said in a statement that the attack in no way diminishes the high values of the Kurdish nation..

He added that those who want to attack the KDP and undermine the values of the people of Kurdistan will eventually pay the price for their action.

Co-President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Lahur Sheikh Jangi said in a tweet that burning a party’s offices is not a civil way to express disagreement with any individual or party.

He also said that he was concerned about the Kurdistan flag being burned, which he said has been “protected by the blood of thousands of brave [citizens].”

Reporter’s code: 50101