PHOTOS: Kurds angered by US inaction following Iranian-backed Iraqi attacks

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – People of the Kurdistan Region have expressed anger at the US policy towards the Kurds following the attacks of the Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Hashd al-Shaabi, also known as Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), in Kirkuk and other disputed areas controlled by Peshmerga forces.

On Saturday, on a rare occasion, anti-American slogans were placed at some public places in Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Region, articulating the anger of the Kurds at the US position after they came under attack by Hashd al-Shaabi and the Iraqi army, using US weapons.

The signs were promptly removed as it remains unclear who was behind them.

This comes after Kurds sided with those who fled Hashd al-Shaabi attacks in Kirkuk and Khurmatu and held the first anti-US demonstrations in front of its Consulate General in Erbil, on October 21, urging the US to intervene and protect the rights of the Kurds.

The people of the Kurdistan Region who gave their lives to defeat the Islamic State and welcomed millions of refugees, who have been loyal allies of the United States, did not expect America to sit idly by as Iraqi and Iranian-backed Shia militia attacked civilians, looted and burned their properties.

We expected more support and involvement from the US in response to the current assaults on the Region, said the Erbil Governor, Nawzad Hadi during a press conference held on October 22.

“Erbil is the capital of the Kurdistan Region, but at the same time has been a strong military base for coalition forces and the US since 2003. Their troops were deployed to the Kurdistan Region to topple the dictatorship system in Iraq, hand in hand with the Peshmerga and the people of the Region,” Hadi said.

US M1 Abrams Tanks and Humvees, along with other US-provided military equipment given to the Iraqi Forces to defeat IS, were used by the PMF in their aggression against Kurds.

All the US President Donald Trump said was, “We don’t like the fact that they’re clashing,” before cautioning that Washington was “not taking sides.”

The PMF and Iraqi forces' incursions on the disputed territories have led to the displacement of close to 180,000 civilians in the Kurdistan Region, UN reported.

Editing by Sam A.