World should remember Kurds fought IS when Iraqi forces collapsed: Italian MP

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – An Italian lawmaker condemned attacks by the Iraqi forces and the Hashd al-Shaabi militia on the Kurds, and called for the government to put an end to the assault.

The Hashd al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and Iraqi troops on Oct. 16 mobilized on the city of Kirkuk and took control of local administrative offices after the Iraqi Government repeatedly threatened the Kurdish administration to reverse the results of the Sep. 25 referendum.

After the fall of Kirkuk, the PMF and Iraqi Forces set their sights on the town of Pirde, also known as Altun Kupri, and launched an assault on Friday, some 40 kilometers south of Erbil city.

“The world cannot forget that the Kurdish Peshmerga fought against Da’esh when the Iraqi forces collapsed,” Italian member of the Democratic Party (DP) Umberto d'Ottavio stated, using the pejorative Arabic acronym for the Islamic State (IS).

The Peshmerga have been called one of the most effective ground troops in the fight to defeat IS. According to the Ministry of Peshmerga, since 2014, over 1,800 Peshmerga have fallen while combating the jihadist group, and more than 12,000 were wounded.

The lawmaker expressed his concerns regarding the US and European governments' silence and lamented they were not taking any initiative to intervene and control the situation.

“Italy has always been a friend of the Kurdistan Region and should speak up against the crimes committed against the Kurds,” d’Ottavio added.

The DP has 283 seats out of 630 in the Italian Chamber of Deputies, and 99 seats out of 315 in the Senate. They hold 25 seats for Italy in the European Union (EU) Parliament, out of a total of 73.

Editing by G.H. Renaud