Nov 10, 2017

Congress put the Iraqi Kurds on notice this summer against going forward with their independence vote. In the aftermath of Baghdad’s heavy-handed response, however, congressional ire is falling squarely on the central government.

US lawmakers’ new attitude is most evident in the final version of national defense legislation released Nov. 8. While the original House bill made US military aid to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) “contingent upon KRG participation in the government of a unified Iraq,” final compromise legislation between the House and Senate contains no such warning (the Department of Defense has requested $365 million in stipends and sustainment for Kurdish peshmerga forces for fiscal year 2018).

Instead, advisory report language accompanying the bill addresses recent clashes between Iraqi security forces and Kurdish peshmerga forces by calling on “all parties to defuse tensions.” It specifically points the finger at the predominantly Shiite militias fighting alongside the Iraqi state.

“The conferees are alarmed by reports of clashes among security force elements over control of contested areas in Iraq and especially alarmed by reports of engagements between Kurdish peshmerga forces and Iranian-backed paramilitary forces,” says the report. “The conferees emphasize the significant contributions Kurdish security forces have made to countering [the Islamic State (IS)] and condemn Iranian interference in Iraqi affairs.”

Both Shiite and Sunni Arab political parties in Iraq have condemned the KRG referendum, as has the Donald Trump administration. Still, Congress has chosen to direct the blame for its aftermath squarely at Iran.