JEDDAH: A top aide of Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani stressed on Friday that the Kurds are within their rights to demand separation from Iraq.
Hours after Barzani made it clear that there would be no deferment or cancelation of the planned independence referendum on Sept. 25, Mohammed Haji Mahmoud, a well-known Kurdish Peshmerga commander and president of the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party, told Arab News: “Kurdistan is a federating unit of Iraq. Our constitution stipulates that if a federating unit is not happy in the union, it has the right to separate. We are doing exactly that.”
Speaking through an interpreter, Haji Mahmoud said Iraq’s government was neither following the constitution in letter, nor in spirit. “We are a separate nation. After the referendum is over, we will hold talks with Baghdad. That will be our next step. We are only doing what we have agreed upon in the past,” he told Arab News from Irbil, where he had come to attend a rally addressed by Barzani.
Responding to a question about the strong opposition to the referendum expressed by many Kurdish allies, Haji Mahmoud said: “Why have they been pressurizing us? We are only asking for our rights. We are asking for our freedom. That is all.”
Addressing the rally in Irbil, Barzani said: “The referendum is no longer in my hands, nor is it in those of the (political) parties — it is in your hands.
“We say that we are ready for serious open-minded dialogue with Baghdad, but after Sept. 25, because now it is too late.”
Iran and Turkey have vehemently opposed the referendum. Both have sizable Kurdish populations of their own and they fear that the vote in northern Iraq will stoke separatist aspirations at home.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, speaking on television on Friday, said that the vote posed a threat to national security, adding that Ankara “will do what is necessary” to protect itself. He did not elaborate.
But Hoshyar Zebari, a senior adviser to Barzani, told Reuters: “This is the last 5 meters of the final sprint and we will be standing our ground.”
The Iraqi government has called the referendum unconstitutional.
On Thursday, the UN Security Council warned the referendum was “potentially destabilizing.”
The council urged “dialogue and compromise” to address differences between the Iraqi government and the regional authorities.
It added that the vote could weaken the military campaign against Daesh, “in which Kurdish forces have played a critical role.”
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia urged Barzani to cancel the referendum to avoid further “crises” in the region.
In areas disputed between Irbil and Baghdad, some have issued strong warnings against the vote.
Hadi Al-Ameri, head of the powerful Iran-backed Badr militia, last week vowed to defend the unity of Iraq, warning that the referendum could trigger partition and civil war.
And, according to AFP, Atef Annajar — an official from the Iran-backed Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi Shiite militia in the town of Tuz Khurmatu in Salaheddine province — said he would not allow voting to take place.
“We’re ready for a fight to the death,” he said.
Related report — Page 11
Vote to go ahead: Barzani aide says ‘we have the right to separate’
Vote to go ahead: Barzani aide says ‘we have the right to separate’
Palestinian ministry says Israeli forces kill teenager in West Bank raid
- Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported that Madani was hit when Israeli forces fired bullets, flares and tear gas
NABLUS, Palestinian Territories: The Palestinian health ministry in the Israeli-occupied West Bank stated that Israeli forces had killed a teenager during a raid on a refugee camp near the city of Nablus Sunday.
Mutaz Ahmad Abdul Wahab Madani, 17, was “killed and two others were wounded by occupation forces’ gunfire during a raid near Askar Camp east of Nablus,” the Ramallah-based ministry said in a statement.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment.
Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported that Madani was hit when Israeli forces fired bullets, flares and tear gas.
Medics reported that Madani had been shot in the chest and that Israeli forces initially kept him with them before handing him to Palestinian medics.
He was then transported to Rafidia hospital in a critical condition but succumbed to his wounds, a medic said.
Violence in the West Bank has intensified since war broke out in the Gaza Strip after Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Since then, at least 818 Palestinians have been killed in the territory by Israeli troops or settlers, according to the health ministry.
In the same period, Palestinian attacks in the West Bank have killed at least 25 Israelis, according to official Israeli figures.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since conquering it in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
FBI looking into New Orleans attack suspect’s visits to Egypt, Canada
- The FBI said Jabbar made at least two trips to New Orleans in the months prior to the attack, one in October and the other in November
WASHINGTON: The FBI is looking into past visits to Egypt and Canada by the suspect in the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans that killed 14 people after a truck was rammed into a crowd of revelers, an FBI official told reporters on Sunday.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a US Army veteran aged 42 who had pledged allegiance to the Daesh extremist group, was the suspect in the attack and the FBI says he acted alone. He was killed in a shootout with police after the rampage, which also injured dozens of people and has been labeled by the FBI as an act of terrorism.
“We have also tracked that Jabbar traveled to Cairo, Egypt, from June 22 until July 3 of 2023. A few days later he flew to Ontario, Canada, on July 10 and returned to the US on July 13 of 2023,” Lyonel Myrthil, FBI special agent in charge of the New Orleans field office, said at a press briefing.
“Our agents are getting answers as to where he went, who he met with and how those trips may or may not tie into his actions in our city in New Orleans,” he added.
The FBI also said Jabbar made at least two trips to New Orleans in the months prior to the attack, one in October and the other in November.
The suspect stayed in a rental home in New Orleans during that time, the FBI said, adding he recorded videos with Meta glasses traveling through the French Quarter, the neighborhood in New Orleans where the attack occurred on Bourbon Street.
The New Orleans coroner’s office has identified all 14 deceased victims, among whom the youngest was aged 18 and the oldest was 63. Most were in their 20s.
Saudi FM meets US envoy to discuss developments in Lebanon
- Explored collaborative efforts to address challenges facing Lebanese people and in broader region
RIYADH: Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with Amos Hochstein, the US Special Envoy to Lebanon, on Sunday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Riyadh.
The meeting focused on regional issues, with particular attention given to the situation in Lebanon, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Both sides exchanged views on recent developments and explored collaborative efforts to address the challenges facing the Lebanese people and the broader region, SPA added.
Also in attendance was Prince Yazid bin Mohammed bin Fahd Al-Farhan, advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Lebanese Affairs, who contributed to the discussions.
Dembélé scores last-gasp winner as PSG wins Champions Trophy
- The match was played at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, with PSG owned by Qatar-based QSI since 2011
PARIS: Ousmane Dembélé scored a stoppage-time winner as Paris Saint-Germain beat Monaco 1-0 to win the Champions Trophy on Sunday.
The France winger was unmarked at the back post to meet a low cross from the left by Fabian Ruiz in the second minute of added time.
PSG won the trophy, also known as the super cup, for the third straight time and a record-extending 13th overall. PSG won the league and cup double last season, with Monaco finishing second in the league.
The match was played at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, with PSG owned by Qatar-based QSI since 2011.
Désiré Doué hit the crossbar early on for PSG and Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Köhn made several saves.
Monaco improved after the break and hit the post through Eliesse Ben Seghir and Brazilian defender Vanderson.
Although Köhn made a fine save to deny Achraf Hakimi in the 74th minute, he failed to properly read Ruiz’s cross and Monaco missed out on winning the trophy for the first time since 2000.
Later Sunday, Marseille looked to strengthen its grip on second place in Ligue 1 with a home win against lowly Le Havre.
French league
Marseille looks to strengthen its grip on second place in Ligue 1 with a home win against lowly Le Havre later Sunday.
Toulouse climbed up to eighth place with a 1-0 win at seventh-place Lens, which leads Toulouse on goal difference.
Striker Zakaria Aboukhlal scored a penalty in the 73rd.
The goal came shortly after Lens midfielder David Pereira da Costa was shown a second yellow card following a video review and was sent off.
Angers beat Brest 2-0, and Strasbourg rallied to win 3-1 at home to Auxerre and move into 10th spot.
Esteban Lepaul scored early on for Angers and fellow striker Ibrahima Niane, who replaced Lepaul in the 75th, wrapped up the win in stoppage time.
Strasbourg’s goals came from captain Habib Diarra, Félix Lemarechal and forward Emanuel Emegha, after Hamed Traore gave Burgundy side Auxerre an early lead in Alsace.
Saudi leadership offers condolences after death of Jordan’s Princess Majda
- Princess Majda passed away in Amman on Jan. 3, the Royal Hashemite Court said
- Swedish-born princess was born Margaretha Inga Elisabeth Lind and became known as Princess Majda after her marriage.
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sent cables of condolences to the king of Jordan after the passing of Princess Majda Raad, Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
Jordan’s King Abdullah attended the funeral of Princess Majda, the wife of Prince Raad bin Zeid, at the Royal Cemetery on Friday, The Jordan Times reported.
Princess Majda passed away in Amman on Jan. 3, the Royal Hashemite Court said. The Swedish-born princess was born Margaretha Inga Elisabeth Lind and became known as Princess Majda after her marriage.
