The KDP–PUK Media War Over Trump's Weapons Claim Has Hit a New Low

The media war between the KDP and PUK, especially between those owned by Masrour Barzani and Bafel Talabani, is reaching a new low. Both sides are now trading cheap accusations, often with little concern for evidence, logic or basic credibility.

A recent example is the bizarre saga over weapons that Donald Trump claimed had been given to "the Kurds." Media close to Masrour Barzani launched a campaign accusing the PUK of stealing these weapons. The claims were thin from the start, but the campaign escalated when Masrour-owned accounts circulated material from "Mossad Commentary," an X fan account known for publishing paid content. Bafel Talabani then responded during his appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, saying the PUK had not taken the weapons but could not say the same about Erbil, indirectly suggesting the KDP side may have done so.

KDP and Masrour-owned media then pushed back by circulating a random video of PUK anti-aircraft weapons, presenting it as supposed evidence. But the footage proves nothing. The weapons appear to be Russian-made Grad systems, and there is no link showing they are the weapons Trump was referring to. It was less evidence than retaliation.

PUK and anti-Masrour media responded in kind, directly attacking Masrour Barzani, referring to him as the KDP's second deputy president and arguing that, as prime minister, he is responsible for whatever happens across the Kurdistan Region. They also rejected the video as false.

What seems to be happening is not a search for truth, but another round of spite politics. Both sides appear to be using fabricated or exaggerated claims to provoke, embarrass and anger the other. The entire weapons saga is almost certainly aimed at local consumption and image-making. Masrour's media ecosystem is especially focused on portraying Bafel as Iran's man, while PUK-aligned outlets respond by attacking Masrour's legitimacy and responsibility as prime minister.

But the whole exercise is futile. If the United States gave weapons to any Kurdish force, Washington would know exactly who received them, where they went and whether anything was diverted. No amount of social media noise from Erbil or Sulaimani can change that reality.

In that sense, this episode shows how degraded Kurdish politics has become. Public wealth, much of it drawn from oil and state resources, is being used to finance media machines that produce conspiracy, disinformation and factional humiliation campaigns. The result is a politics of resentment where both sides spend more energy trying to damage each other than addressing the crisis facing the Kurdistan Region itself.