Abadi “has talked about Kirkuk, Peshmerga and the people of Kurdistan in an inappropriate way in an interview that aired on Al Dijlah TV on Saturday, aiming to destroy the positive atmosphere post-election between the [Kurdistan] Region and Baghdad,” read a statement by Barzani’s office.
Prior to the Mosul operation in a move widely described as "historic cooperation" between Erbil and Baghdad, former president Barzani and Abadi struck a deal that allowed Iraqi forces to cross Peshmerga lines so they could commence the liberation of Mosul from the east.
In his statement, Barzani described Abadi as an “unfaithful person for the Peshmerga and the people of Kurdistan,” adding if it weren't for the Kurdish armed forces the former PM “would never see Mosul in order to steal the victory over Daesh in Mosul for himself and brag about it.”
The Battle for Mosul against the Islamic State (ISIS) began in October 16, 2016, and ended on July 20, 2017.
Abadi, list head of the Victory Alliance that won 42 seats in last year's parliamentary election, had said in an interview with al-Dijlah that some members of the KDP and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are “extremists.”
He further talked about the federal takeover of disputed Kirkuk in October 2017 and the withdrawal of Peshmerga forces.
Abadi claimed the Peshmerga who didn't fight did so “to avoid the bloodshed of people and prevent a destructive war” while others in the KDP and PUK "are really extremists.”
“Those people who Abadi describes as extremists are considered by Kurdistan's people as faithful and patriotic,” Barzani stated.
Those who “coordinated with Abadi are traitors and have sold out their homeland,” referring to people in the PUK who allegedly made a last minute deal with Baghdad to hand over the disputed city without a fight.
It is widely rumored that Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), moderated a deal between both Iraqi government and the PUK. At the time unverified photos emerged of him in the PUK powerbase of Sulaimani, Kirkuk, and Baghdad.
The former Iraqi PM denied the presence of any agreement with the PUK for Kirkuk and the role of Soleimani.
Barzani praised the post-Abadi era in Iraq, saying that “everyone shall know well that another condition has appeared in Iraq where the spiteful, selfish and law-breaking faces shall not have roles. The current stage is the stage of responsibility and bolstering the principles of coexistence and establishing partnership, unity, and balance in Iraq.”
Hoshyar Zebari, a member of the KDP Politburo, claimed in a tweet on Sunday that Abadi’s “anti-Kurdish policies has cost him a second term by ill-advised local and [international] advisors.”
Although Abadi's list finished third in the election, it performed far better than former PM Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law Coalition. Maliki heads Iraq's powerful Dawa Party of which Abadi is a member.
Abadi has continued to play a public role, meeting with foreign diplomats, military officials, and other political elite — leading many to believe he will again pursue a post in government in the future.
