(MNA) -- Despite all warnings and oppositions from regional players, world major powers and some internal political Kurdish parties, on Sep 5 the Iraqi Kurdistan’s head, Masoud Barzaini unilaterally hold independence referendum not only to materialize his old unrealistic ambition but also to extend his illegal and undemocratic rule over the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
Now when Iraqi troops retook Kirkuk and Diala which were under the Kurdish Peshmerga forces control, all Bazrzani and his overt and covert friends’ dreams appear shattered.
The oil-rich city Kirkuk which some Kurdish leaders call it Qods of Kurdistan, claimed by the Kurds, was critical to the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government’s ambitions for secession.
The KRG Peshmerga forces gained full control of Kirkuk in 2014 when Iraqi forces melted away after Isis swept through the north of the country. The Peshmerga used the opportunity to enter the city and seize its military base, airport and oilfields.
Regarding the recent developments in Iraq some main points should be considered:
First, Barzani’s critics believe his insistence on pushing for a referendum, particularly in Kirkuk, despite oppositions from all key regional and international players put the Kurds in a difficult position. These events highlight the depth of intra-Kurdish divisions on the independence referendum.
Many believe the Kurdish government’s use of the referendum and the northern Iraqi oil resources as political leverage on Goran movement and the PUK. These two Kurdish political factions saw the referendum as an attempt by Barzani and his son Masrour to reassert their leadership and re-legitimize KDP authority, even in areas outside of its traditional base.
Second, rapid defeat of the Barzani and his affiliated forces supported and trained by the US and the Israeli regime in less than 24 hours shows that Washington and Telaviv are not the only players in the region and the unity of the regional countries can easily foil the US and the Zionist’s regional plots to redraw the borders in the Middle East to suit to their geopolitical interests.
Third, All developments in the region especially the Iraqi Kurdistan region’s independence referendum, the main US and Zionist destabilizing plot for the region shows that the best solution for the regional problems is the cooperation among regional countries like the close cooperation between Iran, Iraq and Turkey in breaking the back bone of the most destabilizing plot of breaking down of Iraq.
Meddling of the transregional powers can just complicate the situation and destabilize the region more.
Fourth, the Israeli regime was the only supporter of the Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence referendum and many analyst believe the US’s stated and actual policy on Erbil independence referendum are incongruent. Those in favour of creating an Independent Kurdish state count on US support via Israel. In other words the Washington is plotting and have been plotting against its own strategic regional partners and allies like Turkey and Iraq by supporting Iraq’s disintegration that is a direct security threat to Iraq’s neighbours, too . So all these developments shows how untrustworthy the White House is and the regional countries should cooperate with each other to guarantee their own interests
By Payman Yazdani
Iraq developments’ explicit messages to Washington and regional states
Despite all warnings and oppositions from regional players, world major powers and some internal political Kurdish parties, on Sep 5 the Iraqi Kurdistan’s head, Masoud Barzaini unilaterally hold independence referendum not only to materialize his old unrealistic ambition but also to extend his illegal and undemocratic rule over the Iraqi Kurdistan region.
Now when Iraqi troops retook Kirkuk and Diala which were under the Kurdish Peshmerga forces control, all Bazrzani and his overt and covert friends’ dreams appear shattered.
The oil-rich city Kirkuk which some Kurdish leaders call it Qods of Kurdistan, claimed by the Kurds, was critical to the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government’s ambitions for secession.
The KRG Peshmerga forces gained full control of Kirkuk in 2014 when Iraqi forces melted away after Isis swept through the north of the country. The Peshmerga used the opportunity to enter the city and seize its military base, airport and oilfields.
Regarding the recent developments in Iraq three main points should be considered:
First, Barzani’s critics believe his insistence on pushing for a referendum, particularly in Kirkuk, despite oppositions from all key regional and international players put the Kurds in a difficult position. These events highlight the depth of intra-Kurdish divisions on the independence referendum.
Many believe the Kurdish government’s use of the referendum and the northern Iraqi oil resources as political leverage on Goran movement and the PUK. These two Kurdish political factions saw the referendum as an attempt by Barzani and his son Masrour to reassert their leadership and re-legitimize KDP authority, even in areas outside of its traditional base.
Second, rapid defeat of the Barzani and his affiliated forces supported and trained by the US and the Israeli regime in less than 24 hours shows that Washington is not the only players in the region and the unity of the regional countries can easily foil the US and the Zionist’s regional plots to redraw the borders in the Middle East to suit to their geopolitical interests.
Third, All developments in the region especially the Iraqi Kurdistan region’s independence referendum, the main US and Zionist destabilizing plot for the region shows that the best solution for the regional problems is the cooperation among regional countries like the close cooperation between Iran, Iraq and Turkey in breaking the back bone of the most destabilizing plot of breaking down of Iraq.
Meddling of the transregional powers can just complicate the situation and destabilize the region more.
Fourth, the Israeli regime was the only supporter of the Iraqi Kurdistan’s independence referendum and many analyst believe the US’s stated and actual policy on Erbil independence referendum are incongruent. Those in favour of creating an Independent Kurdish state count on US support via Israel. In other words the Washington is plotting and have been plotting against its own strategic regional partners and allies like Turkey and Iraq by supporting Iraq’s disintegration that is a direct security threat to Iraq’s neighbours, too . So all these developments shows how untrustworthy the White House is and the regional countries should cooperate with each other to guarantee their own interests