Former PM Salih warns against call for Baghdad military intervention in Kurdistan

SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region – KRG’s former Prime Minister Barham Salih has warned against the call for Iraqi military intervention in the internal affairs of the Kurdistan Region, days after deadly anti-government protests that engulfed several Kurdish cities.

Saih, who is the head of the newly-founded Coalition for Democracy and Justice Democracy, said on Wednesday that they believe in the principle of the people’s “just right to civic and peaceful protests.”

It is the duty of the government to protect this right enshrined in law, he said, adding that “changing the course of civil struggles to burning and demolishing [buildings] is in the interest of the corrupt.”

Thousands of people took to the streets in most of the cities of Halabja and Sulaimani provinces demanding an end to wide-spread corruption, better basic services, and the full payment of often delayed or reduced salaries of the public sector.

Two people were killed, and 87 more injured in Rania, Sulaimani province when clashes erupted between the protesters, security forces and riot police. Live ammunition could be heard during the violent confrontations.

Protesters have since burned more than a dozen government offices as well as those of the main Kurdish parties in several cities including in Raniya, Piramagrun, and Koya.

Some protesters call for ousting the current KRG cabinet.

Security forces in large numbers have been deployed to the streets of the affected areas and a night curfew was announced on Tuesday in at least two cities.

Salih said that all calls for military intervention of the Iraqi government must be avoided.

“Talking about the use of military force from Baghdad to resolve the problems [of the Kurdistan Region] brings destruction and adds to the list of recent catastrophes. It is in contrary to the interests of the people of Kurdistan and Iraq as well,” the former PM said in a tweet, mainly in reference to the Iraqi military incursion into the then-Peshmerga controlled Kurdistani or disputed areas in mid-October claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad.

It is not clear who called on Baghdad to intervene militarily. But the Kurdistan Security Council said in a statement on Wednesday that the military threat by Baghdad remains in place and that Baghdad seeks to “destabilize” peace and security in the Kurdish region.

Salih stated that a free and fair election is the solution to the crises of the Kurdistan Region.

Salih’s Coalition of Justice and Democracy, like Gorran and the Kurdistan islamic Group (Komal) has asked for an interim government be formed to address the ongoing financial crisis and talks with Baghdad, something rejected by the more influential parties who form the coalition government.

KRG maintains that is unable to pay the state salaries in full or on time because of the continued Iraqi budget cuts since early 2014 along with the loss of oil fields in the disputed Kirkuk province more than two months ago that nearly halved its oil-revenues.