Abadi speech incompatible with new Iraq, constitution Kurds voted for: Kurdish parties

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdish political bloc in Baghdad on Sunday called on Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to apologize and revise his speech which announced the end of the war against the Islamic State (IS) but ignored the role of the Peshmerga Forces.

In a televised speech, Abadi declared victory over IS and thanked the Iraqi forces, including the Federal Police, Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militias, Counter-terrorism Forces, the Air Force and Sunni tribal fighters, but refused to mention the Peshmerga directly for their sacrifices in helping triumph against the jihadist group.

This is not the first time Abadi has ignored the role of the Peshmerga in the fight against IS, opting to refrain from mentioning the Kurdish Forces when he announced the liberation of Mosul in the summer.

The five-party Kurdish bloc, known as the Kurdistan Alliance in the Iraqi Parliament, issued a statement saying they “denounce the position [excluding the Kurds], which calls for the record to be set straight and for an apology to be issued.”

“This is a gross injustice not only to the Peshmerga, but to all the citizens of the region,” the statement concluded.

The Kurdish bloc holds 65 seats out of 325 seats in the Iraqi Parliament, and has strongly expressed reservations regarding the draft federal budget which aims at punishing the Kurdistan Region by reducing its budget and refraining from using constitutionally-enshrined terminology.

The Kurdish alliance suggested Abadi’s slighting of the Peshmerga Forces is the latest step in undermining federalism in Iraq and the concept of a real partnership between the country’s components.

The political bloc further said that ignoring the role of the Kurdish Forces in the fight against terrorism was a “public disregard of the sacrifices of tens of thousands of martyrs, injured fighters, prisoners, and victims.”

According to the KRG’s Ministry of Peshmerga, more than 1,800 Peshmerga fighters were martyred in the fight against IS, and over 10,000 others were wounded. The Kurdish Peshmerga Forces were the ones to stop the advance of the jihadist group and pushed them back, establishing the first defense lines in 2014.

The joint statement by the Kurdish parties in Baghdad recognized that the Peshmerga Forces were the ones to “fill the void left by the withdrawal” of the Iraqi army, which collapsed when IS overran northern Iraq.

“Prime Minister Abadi’s approach is not compatible with the new Iraq and the constitution we voted for in 2005,” the statement read.

“We call on Baghdad to close chapters of the past and overcome its mistakes, building confidence through positive attitudes that reflect the spirit of partnership, equality, justice, and a united citizenship,” the statement concluded.

The Peshmerga were hailed as one of the most effective ground troops in defeating the extremist group by coalition partners since 2014.

As Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the end of the fight against IS on Saturday and refused to acknowledge the Peshmerga Forces in his speech, the Kurdistan Region boycotted celebrating the victory.

The omission created a backlash in the Kurdistan Region with the Ministry of Peshmerga issuing a statement condemning the recognition of individual branches of the Iraqi security apparatus but not of the allied Kurdish Forces.