Parliament official blames US for attacks on Iraq’s border

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Deputy Chairman of the Iraqi Parliament’s Security & Defense Committee has charged the United States of being responsible for the attacks on the Iraqi borders, due to its decision to dismantle the former Iraqi Army. “A Parliamentary Committee was formed from members of the Parliament’s Security & Defense Committee to observe the Iranian bombardment of the border areas in north Iraq’s Kurdistan Region,” Iskandar Witwitt told IraqiNews.com news agency. He said the committee was led by Hassan al-Sunaid, Iskandar Witwitt, Legislature Hakem al-Zamily for al-Ahrar (Liberals) Bloc, and Legislature Shuan Mohammed for the Kurdistan Alliance. “In the event that no serious measures are to be taken (by the government) against Iran, we shall place the burden of responsibility on America for what has taken place, due to its prevous decisions to dismantle the Iraqi Army,” Witwitt said, calling on the American forces to “interfere to stop attacks against Iraqi border areas.” Witwitt said his committee would head on Wednesday towards the areas, where the Iranian bombardment took place, in order to carry out field tours to observe the impact of the Iranian attacks against Iraqi border areas in Kurdistan Region. “We strongly condemn the Iranian bombardment of the Iraqi border areas and we shall never allow any neighborly state to undermine Iraqi borders and territorial waters,” he stressed. He said that the committee “would prepare a report about the Iranian and Turkish bombardment of the Iraqi border areas, and will invite Iraq’s Foreign Minister, Hoshiar Zibary and the Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad to explain the situation.” The Iranian artillery is bombarding villages and other border areas of north Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, especially the areas of Choman, Haji-Omran and Soran, under the justification of chasing the anti-Tehran opposition forces, taking refuge in the area. Iraqi Kurdistan Region’s villages and border areas in Mirgasur, Kani-Rash and Taki-Shan of Choman township in Arbil Province, had been targets for heavy Iranian bombardment, thing that forced inhabitants of about 20 Kurdish villages to desert their home villages, according to local Kurdish sources. SKH (TF) 1067