WATCH: Kurds protest Iraqi PM’s failure to include Peshmerga in victory speech

Thousands of people in the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Erbil, on Monday protested Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s failure to include the Peshmerga in his victory speech over the Islamic State (IS).

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Thousands of people in the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Erbil, on Monday protested Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadis failure to include the Peshmerga in his victory speech over the Islamic State (IS).

Most of the protestors were university students and lecturers who were raising the Kurdistan flag and chanting various slogans expressing their concerns and strongly condemning Abadi for not acknowledging and congratulating the Peshmerga for their decisive role in helping defeat the jihadist group since 2014.

“We call on Mr. Abadi to apologize to the Peshmerga and the people of the Kurdistan Region,” one of the protestors told Kurdistan 24. “The Peshmerga destroyed the myth of Da’esh [IS] while fighting and defending humanity on behalf of the free world.”

“Mr. Abadi’s speech is a clear example of how Baghdad treats the people of the Kurdistan Region as second-class citizens. How can we have a sense of belonging to Iraq if they treat us like this? Is that how he is going to preserve the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq?” said another protestor.

The Ministry of Peshmerga scathingly responded to Abadi’s omission, reminding him that the sacrifices of its fighters in the battlefields led to victory over IS. Kurdish forces helped Iraqi forces in an unprecedented way in the battle for Mosul, the self-proclaimed capital of IS in Iraq.

“Mr. Abadi again failed to hide his hatred toward the Peshmerga. We will never understand how he can allow himself to act like that. As the Prime Minister, what will he tell the children and families of 1,824 martyred Peshmerga or the other 10,000 wounded Peshmerga who were injured while defeating Da’esh [IS]? How can he expect the people of Kurdistan to have a sense of belonging to Iraq while receiving such treatment from their Prime Minister?” the Peshmerga Ministry’s statement read.

Following the sudden rise of the jihadist group in northern Iraq in mid-2014, the Iraqi army collapsed and left behind their heavy weapons, which eventually fell into the hands of IS. The Kurdish Peshmerga Forces were the ones to stop the advance of IS and pushed them back, establishing the first lines of defense.

The Peshmerga have been one of the most effective ground troops in defeating the extremist group, according to the former US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.

After the fierce backlash of the Kurds, Abadi’s Prime Minister Office on Sunday amended the victory speech’s transcript on the official Facebook post and added “Peshmerga” in both the Arabic and the English posts.

Ties between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq have considerably deteriorated following the Sep. 25 vote. Baghdad has imposed collective punitive measures against the Kurdistan Region, and the sanctions continue.

Editing by Nadia Riva