US and Kurdistan Region has a 'special and enduring partnership': US Deputy Assistant Secretary
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The United States and the Kurdistan Region "have a special and enduring partnership," said US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran Jennifer Gavito during an event hosted by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The KRG Representation in the United States on Wednesday organized an online event on justice and accountability for the 1988 Halabja chemical weapons attack. Wednesday was the 34th anniversary of that infamous massacre, which killed 5,000 civilians, including women and children, and injured 10,000 in a single day.
"The Halabja massacre is a horrific attack of Saddam Hussein," Gavito said.
"On behalf of the US government, I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to the victims, survivors and their families," she added. "The (attack) serves as a reminder to the world that we must work to prevent such atrocities in the future."
Gavito also said the Operation Provide Comfort, the humanitarian operation organized by the US, France, and the United Kingdom that followed the ceasefire to the 1991 Gulf War, "helped protect the Kurds from the Saddam regime."
Read More: Background to Operation Provide Comfort
"The toppling Saddam regime in 2003 ushered in a new constitution that officially recognized the region of Kurdistan as a part of federal Iraq," she said. "The chief architect of the Anfal campaign, Saddam Hussein, Ali Hassan al-Majd, also known as Chemical Ali Ali Hassan, are now dead."
However, she pointed out that ISIS continued atrocities like the genocide carried out by Saddam Hussein against Yezidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims, and in some cases against Sunni Muslims and other minority groups.
The US supports UNITAD (Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Daesh/ISIS) "to collect, store and preserve evidence of ISIS atrocities."
DAS Jennifer Gavito @fsjen “[Effecrs of the Halabja genocide] serve as a reminder to the world that we must work to prevent such atrocities in the future. ” #HalabjaGenocide34 pic.twitter.com/RPhsOl7FXb
— KRG-USA (@KRG_USA) March 16, 2022
"We have provided targeted assistance to communities," Gavito said. "We are also looking at ways to support the survivors and victim families of the Halabja massacre. Beyond accountability and recovery, we must work together to prevent the recurrence of such atrocities."
She emphasized that the "United States and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region have a special and enduring partnership."
"We have a shared interest in a functional and stable Iraqi government that serves the interests of its people and secures Iraqi territory from threats, internal and external, so that no group, Kurdish or otherwise, feels threatened again," she said.
She added that the "Iraqi Kurdistan region is integral to stable, secure and prosperous federal Iraq."
"Good relations between Baghdad and Erbil are critical," she said. "Iran's outrageous missile attack on Erbil this past weekend once again demonstrates the need for Iraqi unity to protect its territorial integrity and its people."
Read More: US calls for UN Security Council to condemn Iran's missile strikes on Erbil
"Make no mistake, the special relationship between the United States and (the) Iraqi Kurdistan Region is as strong as ever," she added. "Our partnership is critical to the fight against ISIS, supporting the economy, improving the investment climate, upholding the democratic values and diversity and other shared interests."
She also said the United States remains committed "to responding to the atrocities of the past by supporting the Iraqi Kurdistan Region security, prosperity, democracy and special status within a federal Iraq."
"We look forward to our continued work together to confront his many opportunities and challenges."
During the event, KRG US Representative Bayan Abdul Rahman also condemned the Iranian missile attack that recently targeted Erbil.
"(The Iranian) missile attack that targeted residential areas of on our capital Erbil on Mar. 13, three days ago, rang alarm bells and raised serious concerns about the safety of our people," she said.
KRG Representative @BayanRahman “The missile attack that targeted residential areas of on our capital Erbil on March 13, three days ago, rang alarm bells and raised serious concerns about the safety of our people” #HalabjaGenocide34 pic.twitter.com/mZXVm0NFju
— KRG-USA (@KRG_USA) March 16, 2022
She added that the "targeting of Erbil in such way and the repeated attacks on our capital over the past few years are a serious development and a brazen violation of the sovereignty of Iraq."