US Senator calls hostilities against Peshmerga ‘abuse of US-provided’ weapons

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – US Senator Chris Van Hollen on Wednesday expressed strong concerns regarding the Iraqi Forces and Iranian-backed Hashd al-Shaabi’s incursion into the city of Kirkuk on Monday and disputed areas and its destabilizing effect.    

In a statement, Mr. Van Hollen criticized the clashes between the Iraqi government’s forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga, saying he was “deeply disturbed” by reports of Baghdad’s “military assault on Kirkuk and surround Kurdish territory.”

He called on Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to “immediately cease hostilities against Kurdish Peshmerga Forces.”

Van Hollen stressed that aggression toward the Kurdish forces in Iraq, and Syria, has a destabilizing effect on the fight against the Islamic State (IS).

“Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria are vital partners of the United States and have played an essential role in the fight against [IS],” his statement read. “The Iraqi government’s military offensive against Kurdish forces undermines the coalition’s efforts to combat [IS] and is an outright abuse of US-provided defense equipment.”

Van Hollen is the latest American politician to decry the use of US-made and provided weapons by Iraqi forces against their Kurdish allies.

“I strongly urge Prime Minister Abadi to work with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)  to halt clashes, restore calm, and avoid further provocations.”

On Monday, both the Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia and the Iraqi Forces took control of Kirkuk which had been under the protection of Peshmerga since mid-2014 after the Iraqi army collapsed and failed to defend the city from IS.

The day of the assault, Senators John McCain and Chuck Schumer, as well as Rep. Trent Franks, all issued statements critical of the administration’s limited response to Baghdad’s use of military action against the Kurds in retaliation to the Sep. 25 referendum on independence.

McCain and Franks both stressed the role played by Iranian-backed militias in the Iraqi attack and urged the US to move quickly to stop the fighting and start a dialogue between the two sides.

Senators Marco Rubio and James Inhofe also condemned the attacks on Tuesday and urged steps be taken to restore security and stability to the contested areas.