Jutyar Adil, the spokesman of Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Erbil, August 19, 2019. Photo: K24 TV
HEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) spokesperson Jutyar Adil on Sunday has strongly responded to derogatory remarks made by Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah about Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani.
In a speech delivered to remember Iran’s top general Qassem Soleimani, Nasrollah claimed that the Iranians saved Erbil and Iraqi Kurdistan Region against the Islamic State. He insulted Kurds and their political leaders in his speech which angered many in Kurdistan.
Soleimani killed by U.S. airstrike in Baghdad earlier in January and Tehran responded with missile strikes on U.S. targets in Iraq and Kurdistan Region.
Nasrallah said that “when the Islamic State was attacking, Barzani was shivering from fear.”
Adil defended Barzani and the Peshmerga in a statement.
“You who cannot even look up because of your enemies. Why are you attacking a nation that has nothing to do with you? It was the Peshmerga that protected Erbil and Kurdistan and no one else, but we still thank whoever helped us,” Adil said.
“It is strange that you attack a nation and its leader in such a juvenile way. Instead of insulting it, you should have supported a nation that has seen injustice for years,” he said.
Adil also warned that Nasrollah is not at a level to even speak about Massoud Barzani.
The Kurdistan Region has been caught up in the intense tensions between the US and Iran that are playing out in Iraq.
Hezbollah was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department in 1997.
The group generally follows the religious guidance of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Hizballah is closely allied with Iran and the two often work together on shared initiatives, although Hizballah also acts independently.
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