WASHINGTON, DC – The US State Department has responded to criticism that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was not invited to Tuesday’s multinational conference on how to fight the Islamic State, saying the Kurds were represented by the delegation from Iraq. The decision to not include Kurdish leaders came under heavy fire from the KRG, analysts and the Kurdish online community for neglecting the contributions the region has made in fighting ISIS and accommodating an estimated 1.7 million refugees. The State Department was quick to point out the integral role the Peshmerga and the KRG will continue to play in the campaign against the extremist group that now holds large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. “So the head of the government of Iraq as one country represented them [Kurds] at this conference. But certainly, they are a key part of our strategy. We have supported them and we’ll continue to do so,” said Marie Harf, senior advisor for strategic communications, at a daily press briefing. “But that doesn’t mean we’re not supportive of the Kurds, [and] doesn’t mean we’re not talking to them about strategy at every turn, because we absolutely are,” Harf added. KRG put out a statement Tuesday criticizing the Shiite-led government in Baghdad and the international coalition that was formed to fight ISIS. This was the second strategy conference the KRG was not included in. . “The federal government didn’t invite any representative from Kurdistan to the Paris meeting and has participated in this gathering alone,” said a statement from the KRG’s Department of Foreign Relations. “We were expecting the central government of Iraq as well as international community to respect the Kurdistan region and the Peshmerga and value the region’s great efforts to protect more than 1.5 million refugees despite our limited facilities,” the statement added. Many Kurds used social media to unleash frustration. “If Peshmerga [and] YPG leaders yelled death to America daily [and] claimed the US created ISIS, then maybe they would get invited 2 anti-ISIS meetings,” a Twitter account used who identified as Shwan Fatah post on the Internet. Foreign affairs analysts also took part in the online barrage. Ranj Alaadin, a visiting scholar at Columbia University, posted on Twitter: “[The] anti-Isis coalition meeting in Paris excludes the KRG. An example of strategic shortcomings of Western foreign policy in the war on Isis.” In a subsequent Tweet, Alaadin posted: “Problem with foreign policy in the West is it sometimes doesn't take into account fact that KRG is fighting Isis independently of Baghdad.”
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