Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Friday 27 OctOber 2017
US general: Iraqi tensions divert resources from IS fight Iraq dismisses

Kurdish offer to
By SUSANNAH GEORGE
Associated Press ‘freeze’ vote
BAGHDAD (AP) — The top
U.S. general in Iraq says the By SINAN SALAHEDDIN
fallout from last month’s Associated Press
Kurdish vote for indepen- BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s
dence is diverting resourc- prime minister on Thursday
es away from the war on dismissed a Kurdish pro-
the Islamic State group just posal to “freeze” the results
as the coalition is on the of last month’s indepen-
verge of defeating the ex- dence vote, as Iraqi gov-
tremists. ernment forces and Kurd-
U.S.-backed Iraqi and Kurd- ish fighters traded fire near
ish forces, who together the border with Turkey.
have driven IS out of most Haider al-Abadi’s office
of the country, are locked released the comments
in an increasingly tense as he met with Iran’s su-
standoff. Low-level clashes preme leader and other
have broken out as fed- officials in Tehran. Both
eral forces have driven the Iran and neighboring Tur-
Kurds from disputed areas, key opposed the referen-
and on Thursday Iraq’s dum, and have sided with
prime minister rejected a Baghdad in the escalating
Kurdish offer to “freeze” the In this Oct. 4, 2017 photo released by the U.S. Army, Lt. Gen. Paul Funk, left, commanding general dispute. Iraq’s central gov-
referendum, an apparent of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, and Iraqi Maj. Gen. Najm Abdullah al- ernment “will accept only
attempt by the Kurds to Jibouri, right, commander of the Nineveh Liberation Operation, walk through a busy market near the cancelling of the refer-
save face. the University of Mosul. endum and following the
“We don’t need Iraqis kill- (Spc. Avery Howard, U.S. Army via AP) constitution,” al-Abadi said
ing Iraqis when we’ve the results of the referen- tion launched Thursday to of coalition vehicles and in the statement, rebuffing
got Daesh to kill out in the dum, in which 90 percent drive IS from its last pockets equipment. what appeared to be an
west,” Lt. Gen. Paul Funk voted to redraw the map. in the western Anbar prov- Both the U.S.-led coalition attempt by Kurdish leaders
told The Associated Press, Iraq’s government has de- ince. But in addition to su- and Iran rushed weapons to save face. More than 90
using another acronym for manded the annulment of pervising that operation, and trainers to Iraqi and percent voted in favor of
IS, which still controls territo- the vote and the transfer he has been shuttling be- Kurdish forces in 2014 in or- independence from Iraq
ry straddling Iraq’s western of border control and oth- tween the commanders of der to stop the IS advance in last month’s non-binding
border with Syria. er infrastructure to federal Iraq’s various security forc- and begin to roll it back. referendum, which Kurd-
Clashes broke out earlier forces. es acting as a mediator in But the various forces in- ish leaders had billed as
this month when federal The dispute has laid bare the dispute with the Kurds. volved, including state- an opening bid in nego-
forces retook the disputed longstanding rifts in the co- The troop movements and sanctioned mostly Shiite tiations with Baghdad over
city of Kirkuk and other ar- alition assembled to fight low-level skirmishes are also militias backed by Tehran, expanded autonomy.
eas outside the autono- the Islamic State group stretching the U.S.-led co- were never brought under Instead, federal forces re-
mous Kurdish region that that could complicate ef- alition’s intelligence and a unified command. sponded by retaking Kirkuk
the Kurds had seized when forts to flush the extremists surveillance resources. Instead of trying to inte- and other disputed areas
IS swept across the country out of their last strongholds, Drones previously used to grate Kurdish forces, known outside the Kurds’ autono-
in 2014. Most of the Kurdish or create an opening for monitor the fight against as the peshmerga, into mous region. Most Kurd-
forces withdrew without a them to re-emerge. IS have been diverted to Iraq’s military, coalition ish forces have withdrawn
fight, but tensions remain. Funk said he would have watch flashpoints in the commanders divided up without a fight, but scat-
On Thursday, Prime Minister preferred to spend recent disputed territories, and the battlefield during the tered clashes have broken
Haider al-Abadi rejected weeks focused entirely on the scattered clashes have various campaigns against out, pitting two close U.S.
a Kurdish offer to “freeze” preparations for an opera- impeded the movement IS.q allies against each other.
Iraq’s Kurdish regional
Minister: settlement boycott equals Israel boycott government on Thursday
accused Iraqi forces of
“launching an offensive”
By ARON HELLER the many American Jews referred to Israel’s demo- divestment and sanctions against Kurdish forces
Associated Press who strongly support Israel cratic character in defend- against Israel in what sup- along the border with Tur-
BNEI BRAK, Israel (AP) — but object to its policy of ing the country’s policies. porters say is a nonvio- key. “This is a blatant vio-
The government minister settling in the occupied While Israeli settlers are citi- lent way to promote the lation of the Iraqi constitu-
responsible for combat- West Bank. zens with full voting rights, Palestinian cause. It has tion, which forbids the use
ting international boycott “A boycott is a boycott. If the more than 2 million Pal- urged businesses, artists of the army to settle politi-
efforts against Israel said you want Jews not to live estinians living in the West and universities to sever cal disputes. We condemn
Thursday he sees no differ- there because you think Bank, which Israel captured ties with Israel and includes Iraq’s military aggression in
ence between the target- that is preventing peace in the 1967 Middle East war, thousands of volunteers the strongest terms,” the
ing of Jewish West Bank and you think it belongs do not have Israeli citizen- around the world. But Is- Kurdistan Region Secu-
settlements and the coun- to someone else, then in ship or the right to vote in rael says the campaign, rity Council said. Ahmed
try as a whole. a democratic country you Israeli elections. Most live with its call for a return of al-Asadi, a spokesman
Minister of Strategic Affairs have the tool,” he said. under the rule of the Pales- Palestinian refugees to lost for the mostly Shiite state-
Gilad Erdan told The Associ- “Go convince people and tinian Authority, which has properties inside what is sanctioned militias known
ated Press that all boycotts go get a majority in the limited autonomy in parts now Israel, goes beyond as the Popular Mobilization
against Israel are illegiti- public that shares your po- of the territory. the West Bank occupation Forces, said Kurdish troops
mate, a stance that could sitions.” The boycott movement, and masks a deeper aim of opened fire on federal
put him at odds with some In a wide-ranging inter- also called the BDS move- aiming to destroy the entire forces as they moved to-
of Israel’s closest allies and view, Erdan frequently ment, advocates boycotts, country. q ward the border. q