Kurds feel betrayed by U.S. and other allies
Autonomous region’s push for independence was met with swift reprisal from Iraqi forces
IRBIL, Iraq — Solemn protesters holding aloft Kurdish flags surrounded the U.S. embassy and UN consulate here over the weekend.
United in their anger, they chanted “Yes, yes, Kurdistan” and carried signs saying: “We want our country.”
The shock and indignation in Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish region of Iraq, was part of a new chapter in the Kurds’ bitter quest for independence.
When Kurdish forces recaptured the town of Sinjar from ISIL two years ago, Masoud Barzani, the leader of Iraq’s Kurdish region, gave a triumphant speech on a mountainside. Only the Kurdish flag would ever fly here, he pledged.
But today, the Iraqi flag flutters in the town and across a swath of disputed territory in northern Iraq.
Even a month ago, Iraqi Kurdistan’s leaders seemed sure their path to nationhood was all but guaranteed. The autonomous region’s armed forces, the Peshmerga, enjoyed a formidable reputation and had worked closely with the U.S., Canada and other allies in the fight against ISIL. The way, they thought, was clear. But last Monday, Iraqi government forces and an Iranian-backed militia ousted the Peshmerga from the disputed city of Kirkuk, along with nearby oilfields.
In Irbil, soldiers and civilians alike are still struggling to come to terms with this profound humiliation.
The crisis was largely impelled by last month’s controversial independence referendum, which faced near-universal opposition. Haider al-Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister, threatened military action if the results were not annulled.
But Barzani pressed on. That now appears to have been a huge mistake.
Voting went ahead as planned on Sept. 25 and results reflected an overwhelming desire for independence. Baghdad quickly retaliated.
Iraq’s Kurds now see betrayal from every side, including international allies. The U.S. has been slow to react to both the referendum and crisis in Kirkuk, and when government troops pushed the Peshmerga out of the fringes of Kirkuk province on Friday, a statement from the Kurdish General Command highlighted that they faced “American weapons that have been supplied to the Iraqi army.”
For Baran Abdullah, 25, a Peshmerga fighter, the U.S. was no longer a friend. “We don’t trust Americans any more and we don’t need them any more,” he said angrily. “We are finished with them.”