Despite IS victory, Baghdad working against interest of Iraq, Kurdistan: Peshmerga Ministry

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Peshmerga Ministry on Saturday slammed the Prime Minister of Iraq, Haider al-Abadi, for not acknowledging the role of the Kurdish Forces in his victory speech marking the complete liberation of Iraq from the Islamic State (IS).

In a televised speech, Abadi declared victory over IS and thanked the Iraqi forces, once again refusing to mention the Peshmerga directly for their sacrifices in helping triumph against the jihadist group.

Abadi thanked the Iraqi army divisions, the Federal Police, Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militias, Counter-terrorism Forces, the Air Force and the tribal Sunni fighters for their role in the fight against IS.

However, he refused to acknowledge the Peshmerga Forces whom the anti-IS Coalition and world leaders considered one of the most effective ground forces against the extremist group since 2014.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Abadi once again failed to act as Prime Minister of the country and ignored the heroic role of Kurdistan Peshmerga. This comes despite the entire world witnessing the Peshmerga destroy the myth of Dae’sh [IS] before all other Iraqi forces,” the Peshmerga Ministry’s statement read.

“If it weren’t for the Peshmerga, it would have been possible for Da’esh to still have control over half of Iraq’s geography.”

Following the sudden rise of the jihadist group in northern Iraq in mid-2014, the Iraqi army collapsed and abandoned 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 defense lines.

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.

“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? 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 continued.

It also mentioned that the Peshmerga, and their families in the Kurdistan Region and the world, “are far above the need to receive Mr. Abadi’s congratulations, and all those who think in this way,” to recognize their worth and the value of their sacrifices.

“The Peshmerga neither seek their validation nor their congratulations. It is, nevertheless, very regrettable that while we expect to see some efforts in laying the groundwork for talks to resolve outstanding issues [between Erbil and Baghdad], the Prime Minister acts otherwise,” the statement concluded.

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