Iraq reassures Kurdish citizens as govt heightens referendum reprisal

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraq has reassured Kurdish citizens they will remain secure even as the government escalates its penal measure against their region’s government over a recent referendum on independence.

“You are citizens of the first degree, we will not allow any harm to you and we will share our loaf of bread together,” Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said, addressing Kurds via twitter late Saturday. “To our people in the Kurdistan region: We defend our Kurdish citizens as we defend all Iraqis and will not allow any attack on them,”Abadi added.

You are citizens of the first degree, we will not allow any harm to you and we will share our loaf of bread together

— Haider Al-Abadi (@HaiderAlAbadi) September 30, 2017

Iraq has imposed a set of penal measures against Kurdistan Region’s government as the latter held a referendum on independence from the Baghdad-based, Arab-led government on September 25th.

The autonomous region’s electoral commission had said 92 percent voted for independence.

Iraq, Turkey and Iran have closed their border areas and airspaces with the region, Baghdad had also ordered Erbil to hand over the administration of airports falling inside the region as well as control over petroleum resources and revenues.

“Federal government control of oil revenues is in order to pay KR employee salaries in full and so that money will not go to the corrupt,”Abadi tweeted.

While Erbil labelled the measures as politicized collective punishments of Kurds, Baghdad has said it remains anxious to ensure the sanctions would not harm the Kurdish population.