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Rubio Condemns Violence in Northern Iraq, Calls for Dialogue Between Kurds and Baghdad

Oct 17, 2017 | Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released the following statement regarding reports of fighting in Kirkuk between Iraqi government forces and the Kurdish Regional Government:

“I am gravely concerned to see Iraqi military forces firing on each other in Kirkuk. The United States strongly supports both the Iraqi central government in Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government in our fight to free the people of Iraq from the horrors of ISIS. These hostilities are divisive at exactly a time when unity is needed to finish the fight against ISIS. I call on all parties to cease hostilities and return to dialogue.

“We cannot forget the Iranian regime provides cash, weapons, training, and military orders to Shia militias that are right now near Kirkuk and only nominally take orders from the civilian government in Baghdad. Iran would like nothing more than to see infighting in Iraq, and it’s clear that no good comes from the involvement of these Shia militias, whose loyalties lie to Iran, not Iraq.”