Official: Independence referendum strengthens Peshmerga, Iraqi army cooperation

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Region officials say that despite claims to the contrary, independence referendum would not negatively affect the fight against the Islamic State (IS).

The Kurdistan Region Presidency spokesperson Omed Sabah told Kurdistan24 on Tuesday that independence referendum in the Kurdistan Region "will increase the coordination between the forces fighting IS extremists."

"One of the priorities of the Kurdistan Region is to defeat terrorism whenever it is required," Sabah said, adding that Kurdistan independence referendum would indeed strengthen the good cooperation between the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi security forces in the fight against IS.

President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani after consulting political parties announced the independence referendum to be held on Sep. 25, 2017, bringing to life a long-awaited dream of Kurds who seek to establish an independent state in the Middle East.

Following the announcement, several countries reacted to the decision, stating that independence referendum would distract the focus from the fight against IS extremists.

On June 12, in a meeting with the UK Ambassador to Iraq, Kurdistan Regional Government PM Nechirvan Barzani also affirmed that the referendum would not be a barrier to the Kurdistan Region’s fight against terrorism, stating that “We will fight terror more strongly, which is a threat to us and to the world.”

Editing by Ava Homa