The last century was a tough times for Kurds, forced to live in Iraq, Turkey, Syria and Iran. My ancestors suffered from the oppression and persecutions conducted by the four country governments against the Kurdish people. Massacres, slaughters and chemical attacks against the Kurdish people were followed by assimilation, marginalization and isolation.
However, the Kurds never gave up. My ancestors fought for freedom, in the four countries. As a result of this fight, the Kurds in Iraq earned their freedom from the Iraqi regime in 1991. In 1992, we elected our very first parliament and built a de facto autonomous government named the Regional Government of Kurdistan in Iraq.On the other hand, Kurds in Syria launched a revolution in 2013 and finally established the de facto autonomous region in Northern Syria known as Rojava.
When it comes to, today the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq and the Rojava Administration in Syria are the loyal allies of the United States and the international community in the Middle East. During the past years we have fought against ISIS, scarifying thousands of souls to protect, not only our land, but also the safety and security of the entire world.
ISIS as a common enemy of the Kurds, Israel, the United Kingdom the United States and other modern nations has been a threat not only to the Kurds, but also the entire world. The Kurds, with the help they have received from the United States and the international coalition have successfully defeated ISIS and ended the myth of this barbaric, terrorist organization.
Going back to the Iraq War in 2003, the Kurds were side by side with the Americans and Kurdistan was the only safe haven for the American soldiers, where they felt at home. During the post-war period, Kurds who had a de facto semi-independent status in the Kurdistan Region, voluntarily rejoined Iraq, as a federal region, and participated in the establishment of the new Iraq, upon the United States demands for a united Iraq.
However, the new Iraq did never become a safe homeland for the Kurds. As the Shiite – Arab dominated central government in Baghdad strengthened, Baghdad started to violate the constitutional rights of the Kurds. The Iraqi central government, during Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's term in office, suspended implementation of the articles of the Iraqi Constitution related to the territories of Kurdistan Region.On the other hand, the Iraqi Central Government stopped funding the Kurdistan Regional Government to pay the salaries of the public servants in the Region. Finally, a Shiite militia force, named Hashd al-Shaibi, was formed by the Iraqi Central Government under the excuse of the fight against ISIS. This sectarian militia force, which have clashed with the Kurdish Peshmerga Forces for several times, is now posing threat, not only to the Kurds but all non-Shiite entities in the Region.
At this point, the Kurdish people in Kurdistan Region of Iraq had no other choice, rather than deciding to vote for independence. On 25 September 2017, we voted for an independent Kurdish state, calling the Iraqi Central Government to start negotiations in order for the separation to be peaceful.
But, the Central Iraqi Government has closed the doors of dialogue and negotiations, vowing to punish the Kurds, by closing the airports, international border gates in Kurdistan and stop the trade between the Kurdistan Region and rest part of Iraq. Meanwhile, the Iraqi army is cooperating with the Turkish army for a possible Turkish military intervention. More than this Iran, Turkey and Iraq are planning to impose sanctions on the Kurdistan Region.
If these three countries agree to punish the Kurdish people, first of all, a new humanitarian crisis will emerge in the region. In other words, a people will be left to death, being punished because they asked for the right to self-determination, a right which is granted to all nations, by the UN treaties. Meanwhile, the only loyal ally of the United States and the international coalition against ISIS, in the Middle East will be weakened and this will result in deficiency in the fight against this terrorist organization. Iraqis, Turks and Iranians come together to punish the Kurds and stop them to have an independent state, stating that an independent Kurdistan in the region will be a second Israel.The international community should understand that it is our right to have the safety and security, which is not possible to be obtained but statehood, and that Kurdistan will be a real ally of the USA, EU and UK in the region.