America must stand with their strong allies, the Kurds: Former US Senator

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The United States must not forget who their friends are, and the Kurds are undoubtedly strong allies to Washington, a former US Senator said during an interview with Kurdistan 24.

“The Kurds are strong allies to the United States,” former US Senator (R-MN) Norm Coleman stated. “You got to remember who your friends are and you got to stand with your friends.”

As the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 16, 2017, attack on the Kurds in Kirkuk approaches, Coleman reflected on the way America remained silent as Kurdish Peshmerga were forced to retreat following an offensive by Iraqi forces and Iran-backed militias.

In the aftermath of the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum, Baghdad responded negatively to the vote and imposed a set of punitive measures, including an international flight ban, the closure of borders, and the use of military force in disputed areas.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani orchestrated the Oct. 16 attack against Peshmerga in Kirkuk with the use of American tanks.

“I have heard the stories of Soleimani and the Iranians because these are the Iranians; that’s who’s taking over, that’s whose controlling these areas,” Coleman told Kurdistan 24.

“Let us stand with our friends,” he added. “Let us stand with the Kurds and make sure that they have the resources they need.”

The Kurds “are fighting the fight,” the former US Senator underlined. “Those are not Americans who are fighting. [The Kurds] are fighting the fight. And we need to continue to make sure that our friends are not left alone.”

He admitted that “international politics are very delicate,” but reassured that the Kurds have strong support in the US Congress and that the current Trump administration understands their plight.

Coleman, who served as a US Senator between 2003 and 2009, explained that “things happen very slowly in the US Senate,” adding he hopes Washington is there for the Kurds in the end.

“I think there is no doubt as to who our friends are, what the Kurds stand for; they stand with us.”