'Mind and logic' needed to solve current unrest in Iraq: KDP leader Masoud Barzani

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani has said that  Iraqis should follow logic rather than emotion when seeking a solution for the current unrest gripping the country. 

“A very dangerous situation has emerged in the region and Iraq in the last few days, and a great threat is felt everywhere. In such conditions, mind and logic should be used to find a solution rather than emotions and useless exploitation of the situation,” warned Barzani, who ruled the Kurdistan Region for over a decade, in a Tuesday statement.

The recent attacks against the US forces and mission in Iraq - blamed on the Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), locally known as Hashd al-Shaabi - and US retaliatory operations have dragged Iraq into a new phase of instability following years of unrest. 

Tensions came to a head last week following a US drone strike which killed Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRCG) Commander Qasem Soleimani and PMF Deputy Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

The incidents led to a non-binding resolution by the Iraqi parliament to expel all foreign forces in Iraq. Kurdish lawmakers  boycotted the session. Some countries have expressed their readiness to withdraw from Iraq. 

The growing animosity between the US and Iran has left Iraq vulnerable and caught in the middle of two global powers. 

Iraq is “on the brink of exploding,” added Barzani, who added that the Kurdistan region will not be involved in any proxy wars.

"If the process of resolving the current issue in the Middle East region is in accordance to a path of reason and wisdom, we are certainly ready to cooperate. However, we cannot be involved in any proxy wars,” he tweeted on Tuesday.