US Representative says Kurds long-term ally, earned right to independence

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurds have earned the right to establish an independent country and would be a long-term ally of the Washington DC, says a US congressman.

The Kurdistan Region on Sep. 25 held a referendum on independence with 92.7 percent voting in favor of seceding from the rest of Iraq as a newly-established state.

Following the referendum, Rep. Steve King of Iowa, released a statement, expressing support for the Kurdish right to self-determination.

“Iraq’s Kurds were asked whether they wanted to sever ties with Iraq and become an independent nation. They have seized this historic opportunity for self-determination,” King stated.

He highlighted the role of the Kurdish Peshmerga Forces in defeating the Islamic State (IS) in northern Iraq.

“The Kurdish fighting force, the Peshmerga, have been effective in the fight against the radical Islamic terrorists that comprise the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS),” King continued.

“The Kurds are a proud, independent people who have long been persecuted and who have earned the right to form an independent state. They would be a long-term ally of the United States.”

He called on the Kurds to protect the rights of the ethnic and religious groups in the Kurdistan Region, namely Christians in the Nineveh Plain and Yezidis (Ezidis) in Sinjar (Shingal), should they choose independence.

King was a prominent speaker at the symposium on the Kurdistan Region held in Washington, DC, on July 28 under the title of “The Kurdistan Region: a Strategic US Ally in a Tough Neighborhood,” organized by Kurdistan 24 in partnership with the Washington Times.

During his speech, Rep. King noted that the Kurds were “the largest group in the world" without a nation-state.

He explained how much he values the religious freedom practiced in the Kurdistan Region. “As a Roman Catholic, I can go to church there,” he said, “and I did.”

King described visiting Kurdistan as leaving “the desert” and going to “a garden of Eden that is green, beautiful, and productive.”

“It’s safe, and you can walk the streets without a vest and without a security detail.”

King said that he would “encourage” the Trump administration to support an independent Kurdistan, while he criticized the previous government’s policy, which he described as “holding together the borders of Iraq and teaming up with Iran” in military operations.

“It was a mistake to rely so heavily on the Shia militias, ” King stated. “Just as the Kurds didn’t go into Baghdad ten years ago, the Shias from Baghdad should not have gone into Mosul and over into Syria,” he added. King warned this was “an effort pushed by the Iranians to expand their influence.”

The Iowa congressman suggested there had not been “enough dialogue” in Congress about the Kurdish referendum. He praised the conference as the beginning of a discussion worth having.

“The issue is worth getting a caucus together” in Congress, King stated.

Editing by G.H. Renaud