ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Ranking Member of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs came out in strong support of the Kurdistan Region's "right to self-determination" on Monday as the Region held a referendum on independence. While the Chairman of Missile Defense Caucus stated the United States “is obligated” to support the independence bid.“I firmly believe in the Kurdish right to self-determination," said Representative Eliot L. Engel in a statement on Monday.The congressman's view differs from that of the State Department, which it was "deeply disappointed" in Monday's referendum. They are also timely, as the US Senate and House of Representatives work to pass the Fiscal Year 2018 Defense budget, in which direct funding is again earmarked for Erbil.Engel, however, sees the referendum as a natural step after Kurdish genocide, persecution, and atrocities.“For decades, the Kurdish people have endured campaign after campaign of atrocities, so it’s no wonder that they seek self-determination to protect themselves in the future," he wrote.Engel also noted the Kurdistan Region's willingness to open its arms to "nearly 2 million refugees from Iraq and Syria.""Now, with ISIL’s demise in sight," he wrote, "the Kurdish people face additional threats from Shia militias seeking to exacerbate sectarian and ethnic tensions."Engel encourages Kurdish leaders to use the referendum as a mandate to solve outstanding issues with Baghdad.“With so many urgent issues at hand, including ISIL’s final defeat, the return of displaced people, a recovering economy, and political complications in the KRG, I urge Kurdish leaders to use the mandate created by this referendum to address these important issues," he added.Both Baghdad and Erbil maintain the other has violated the Iraqi constitution on several articles, which was drafted in 2005 with the support of the Americans."The Constitution of Iraq recognizes the administrative role of the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the Central Government in Baghdad must continue to honor its commitments to the Kurdish people and the KRG," Engel recommended.The congressman made headlines when he refused to shake President Donald Trump's hand after he addressed congress. Engel cited Trump's "attack on the free press."US Congressman Trent Franks from Arizona expressed in a statement that now is the time to support Kurdish aspirations for independence.“While the Obama administration dithered and fought efforts to arm and support the Kurds, the Trump administration has the opportunity to stand with a noble people in their time of need. A free and independent Kurdistan can represent hope for peace in the Middle East,” wrote Franks in a statement released on Monday.The longtime proponent of the Kurdish people expressed that Baghdad has failed to secure Kurdish rights and effectively protect the Kurdish people from members of the ISIS and other violent forces.

Baghdad failed to secure Kurdish rights and effectively protect the Kurdish people from ISIS, and so they have right to self-determination. — Rep. Trent Franks (@RepTrentFranks) September 25, 2017



“Thank God for the Kurds – they have delivered countless groups and individuals from the hands of ISIS. Without their armed defense of northern territory, and the protection of over 2 million refugees, the medieval horrors of ISIS could have been much more widespread,” Franks added.



The Chairman of the Missile Defense Caucus explained that “during the darkest days of the Iraq War, Kurdistan remained a sanctuary of order in the midst of sectarian chaos.”



He cited the protection of Iraq’s minority groups by Kurdistan, but encouraged them “to support the self-determination of other groups in the region, such as the Christians of the Nineveh Plain, the Yezidis of Shengal, and the Turkmen of Tal-Afar,” adding that Christians in the Nineveh Plains “may soon face a similar decision.”



He encouraged Kurds to lead by example.



“If the Kurds can show through their actions that their key ally is the United States of America, and they are neither an ally with the Islamist Sunni regime in Turkey nor an ally of the Islamist Shia regime in Iran, the United States will always gladly support them.”