Kurds forced to be Iraqi then penalized for it: Masrour Barzani

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Kurds have been pushed to be Iraqis and later forced to pay the price for it, said a senior Kurdish official on Saturday.

The Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) Masrour Barzani expressed his concern on the travel ban of seven Muslim-majority countries to the US following an executive order issued by President Donald Trump.

“We are not happy. We are the ones that are fighting [the Islamic State (IS)],” said Barzani in an interview with BuzzFeed.

He mentioned the Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting the insurgent group were concerned to see the travel ban imposed on them while they were on the front lines.

“We are fighting the same enemy on the same front line, and I don’t think it’s right to hold a nation to account for just a few individuals,” the Chancellor added.

Recently, the new United States administration issued an executive order banning immigration from nationals of seven countries including Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.

The US President Trump’s decision, who issued the order, was labeled discriminatory against Muslims.

In another part of the interview, Chancellor Barzani pointed to Kurdish independence, adding it was the right of the people of the Kurdistan Region to decide their future.

“We are forced to be Iraqis, and then we are penalized for being Iraqis. So, you sort that out,” he concluded.

Peshmerga forces have liberated large swaths of territory from IS in the southern Kurdistan Region.

Moreover, the Kurdish forces have often been labeled the most efficient ground troops defeating the extremist group.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany