Forced co-existence in Iraq costs Kurds far too much suffering: Security Chief

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Kurds have faced many challenges throughout history for having been forced to be a part of Iraq, said a senior Kurdish official on Tuesday.

During a meeting between Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) Masrour Barzani and Indian Minister of state for External Affairs Dr. Vijay Kumar Singh in Erbil, the two discussed bilateral relations, the fight against the Islamic State (IS) and the Kurdistan Region's independence referendum scheduled for Sep. 25, 2017.

“Forced co-existence in Iraq has costs Kurds far too much suffering,” Barzani noted, listing various crimes committed against the ethnic minority.

Kurds in the Kurdistan Region have suffered through many genocidal campaigns perpetrated by Iraqi governments as well as the destruction of hundreds of villages in the area.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is planning a referendum in September to decide whether the Region should remain a part of Iraq, or secede from the country.

Both officials talked about the political, financial and social conditions that led to the emergence of IS in Iraq, according to the KRSC press office.

Barzani highlighted the victory in Mosul and stated that the jihadist group “will continue to adapt and threaten societies well beyond Iraq's current borders.”

The role of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the liberation of Mosul was another topic of discussion in the meeting. Singh recognized the ‘tremendous’ sacrifices and the historic Kurdish struggle against adversity.

He mentioned that India would review measures to give additional support to the Kurdistan Region. India has been one of the nations to provide medical assistance for wounded Peshmerga fighters.

India opened its Consulate General in the capital of the Kurdistan Region in 2016. Deepak Miglan, the Consul General of India, was also present at the meeting.

Editing by G.H. Renaud