العربي الديمقراطي The Latest From The Arab World
مقالات مشابهة
On Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki accused the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq of harboring militants, further increasing tensions despite a call for unity against the extremist offensive that started a month ago, overrunning five provinces to the west and north of Baghdad and displacing thousands.
The ongoing offensive continues to heap pressure on Maliki as he prepares for a third term his office. However, he may have potentially damaged efforts to retain his position by turning on Kurdish leadership in the city of Arbil, when he accused them of hosting extremist forces behind the offensive.
“Honestly, we cannot be silent over this and we cannot be silent over Arbil being a headquarters for Daash, and the Baath, and al-Qaida and terrorist operations”, he said on television.
Daash was the Arabic acronym for militant group Islamic State (IS), which Kurdish forces are battling against in the north. Baath refers to executed Dictator Saddam Hussein’s banned party, whose regime had caused the deaths of tens of thousands of Kurds.
“They (militant groups) will lose, and their host will lose also”, Maliki said.
His comments will likely embolden people championing independence for the autonomous Kurdish region, which intends to hold a referendum regarding the issue. Although Kurdish parliamentary support is not needed to form a new Kurdish government, it is crucial that they show a united front against the offensive led by the IS.
His remarks are also the latest example of the incessant disunity among Iraqi politicians despite calls from influential clerics and world powers for leaders to form a government, over two months after the elections were held. Last week’s parliamentary session ended in disarray, with lawmakers trading threats and insults before walking out. Typically in Iraq, key positions are agreed among leaders in a package deal, with the presidency generally given to a Kurd, the Prime Minister generally a Shi’ite Arab and the speaker generally a Sunni Arab.