Peshmerga Ministry slams Iraqi PM for taking pride in attacking Kurdistan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Peshmerga Ministry slammed Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday for his speech against the Kurdistan Referendum, reminding him that without the Kurdish Forces, the Iraqi forces would not have been successful in defeating the Islamic State (IS).

Speaking at the 62nd anniversary of the foundation of his Dawa Party in Baghdad on Wednesday, Abadi mentioned the Region’s referendum and said it was “a crime no less than the threats of Da’esh [IS] extremists.”

During his speech, Abadi emphasized the need to prevent “sectarian people from tearing the country apart,” likening such efforts to defeating IS across the country.

In a statement, the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Ministry criticized Abadi for comparing the Oct. 16 attack and ‘occupation’ of Iraqi forces on Kirkuk and other disputed territories to a success similar to the defeat of the militant group.

“The entire world knows that the victory against IS that Mr. Abadi feels proud of wouldn’t have been achieved without the bravery of Peshmerga,” the statement reads. “Without the Peshmerga, Iraqi forces under the command of Mr. Abadi would have turned the entire Kurdistan Region into [Tuz] Khurmatu.”

The Peshmerga have been one of the most effective ground forces in defeating the jihadist group, according to former US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.

As the Iraqi army collapsed in mid-2014 during the rise of IS, the Peshmerga not only stopped the extremists' advance but pushed the group back into its enclave in northern Iraq. Iraqi Forces cooperated with the Peshmerga to retake Mosul, the self-proclaimed capital of the IS.

Following the Oct. 16 attack by Iraqi Forces and the Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia on Kirkuk and other disputed areas, over 180,000 people were forcibly displaced to other cities in the Kurdistan Region, and thousands of houses and properties were looted, burnt and destroyed in the town of Khurmatu, south Kirkuk.

“It is regrettable for a Prime Minister of a country to compare the attack on its people with success against Da’esh, and to feel proud of it,” the statement added.

Ties between Erbil and Baghdad have considerably deteriorated following the Sep. 25 referendum on independence for the Kurdistan Region.

Abadi’s speech “comes at a time when everyone is looking to lay down the groundwork for resolving tensions through dialogue. His statement shows, at its core, the hatred held toward the people of the Kurdistan Region. History, however, has proven that the will of the people in Kurdistan can never be broken and won’t be broken by anyone,” Peshmerga Ministry concluded.

Editing by Nadia Riva