No doubt IS group ‘will rise again’ if US forces withdraw from Iraq, Barzani says
Yekiti Media.
In an interview with FRANCE 24, the head of Iraq’s Kurdistan Democratic Party, Massoud Barzani, warned that the planned withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq would lead to a resurgence of the Islamic State (IS) group. Barzani also addressed violence against religious minorities in Syria, as well as the disarmament announced by the PKK in Turkey.
Barzani began by addressing the situation in Syria and the uptick in violence against Alawites, Druze and Kurds since the arrival of the new authorities.
Back in March, an agreement was signed between the head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, and Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, to integrate the military and civilian institutions of the region to the central government. However, this agreement has not been implemented. Barzani said he has “concerns that the situation may escalate” between the Kurdish and Arab peoples, and lead to a foreign intervention.
“We must resolve problems; we mustn’t focus on war, because war is not a solution”, Barzani said. “The new powers that be must take into account all components that make up our country.”
Asked about the possibility of foreign intervention by Turkey against the Syrian Democratic Forces, Barzani replied that “the Turkish do support a peaceful process” and “supported the agreement back in March, as did we”. “Together, we have tried to ensure that the agreement is properly implemented.”
Barzani went on to welcome the disarmament announced by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Turkey and express hope that it will lead to peace and the liberation of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan. “I do feel that will be an outcome of the peace process, him being set free.”
Finally, asked about the planned withdrawal of US forces from Iraq by the end of 2025, Barzani said “there is no doubt that if the American and coalition forces withdraw then we will be faced with the same scenario of what happened back in 2012: Daesh (the Islamic State group) will rise again”.
“Daesh is a very present danger and we said quite officially that this is our position; it is part of our policy,” he warned.
