Iraqi Kurd leader to quit
- 7 years ago
The deputy speaker within the Iraqi Kurdish parliament has announced the resignation of the region’s president
Massoud Barzani is to step down on November first following an independence referendum which he championed but which has backfired and triggered a regional crisis.
In a bitter televised address Barzanni defended the independence vote.
“The Peshmerga played a major role in the fight of the Mosul operation. And without the Peshmerga, the Iraqi army would never have been able to liberate the city of Mosul. We thought that the international community would reward the Peshmerga and the people of Kurdistan in return with independence.”
As parliament debated Barzani’s decision to stand down, some of his supporters forced their way into the building to protest against his treatment.
The region which has enjoyed unprecidented autonomy for years has been in turnmoil sine the referendum a month ago prompted military and economic retaliation from Iraq’s central government in Baghdad.
Massoud Barzani is to step down on November first following an independence referendum which he championed but which has backfired and triggered a regional crisis.
In a bitter televised address Barzanni defended the independence vote.
“The Peshmerga played a major role in the fight of the Mosul operation. And without the Peshmerga, the Iraqi army would never have been able to liberate the city of Mosul. We thought that the international community would reward the Peshmerga and the people of Kurdistan in return with independence.”
As parliament debated Barzani’s decision to stand down, some of his supporters forced their way into the building to protest against his treatment.
The region which has enjoyed unprecidented autonomy for years has been in turnmoil sine the referendum a month ago prompted military and economic retaliation from Iraq’s central government in Baghdad.