Feyli Kurds Grouping joins Iraqi National Alliance

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The secretary general of the Feyli Kurds Grouping on Saturday said it would join the Iraqi National Alliance List for the upcoming parliamentary elections. “The Feyli Kurds Grouping examined the principles and the electoral platform of the Iraqi National Alliance List and found them to be similar to its approach and principles,” Mohammed al-Numani told Iraqi News. The alliance, which was announced on August 24, includes the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC); the Sadrist movement, led by Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr; Badr Organization; the Fadila Party; the Iraqi Sahwa (Awakening) Congress; and other independent figures. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Islamic Daawa Party said it would participate in the upcoming polls, scheduled to take place on January 16, with a separate list, “The State of Law Coalition.” Feyli Kurds, who make one of the ethnic groups of the Iraqi people, are inhabiting the border areas between Iraq and Iran, mostly concentrated in the areas of Jalawlaa, Khanaqin, Mandili, Badra, Jassan, al-Kut, al-Numaniya and al-Aziziya. There are no official statistics regarding the number of Feyli Kurds in Iraq, particularly after the mass displacement and citizenship deprivation. SS (S) 1