Nechirvan Barzani: We are not the ones who “expelled” the American forces, and Baghdad and Kurdistan need air cover.
Nechirvan Barzani: We are not the ones who “expelled” the American forces, and Baghdad and Kurdistan need air cover.
2026-10-12
Shafaq News – Erbil
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani confirmed on Monday that the region did not “expel” US forces, while stressing the need for air cover for Baghdad and Erbil.
This came during his participation in a special dialogue session within the activities of the “Miri” Forum held in Erbil.
Barzani stated during his speech: “The American forces and other forces that came to Iraq when ISIS emerged in 2014 came at the invitation of the Iraqi government and in accordance with an official letter. The Iraqi state stipulated that the United States should lead this coalition.”
He added, “Since 2014 until now, many changes have taken place, and it is quite natural that Iraq, after ten or twelve years, may no longer need this alliance. One of the priorities of sovereignty for Iraq, initially, is to have good relations with these countries. I would like to say that I thank these forces, as we did not expel them, but rather they came and provided us with assistance. But today we are happy that Iraq has been able to stand on its own two feet, and we, the Iraqis, now believe that we are capable of facing the challenges.”
He continued, “Let’s be realistic: Who protected the Kurdistan Region? Regarding the protection of the region, the Kurdistan Region and Iraq as a whole need an air defense system.”
He pointed out that “I know that when Al-Sudani was Prime Minister, there was an agreement with the United States that included 52 points to provide an air defense system, and the Kurdistan Region was included in it. Air defense is not a need for the Iraqi state alone, but the Kurdistan Region also needs it, and Iraq in general needs it, not just the region.”
“As for the second issue, it is the necessity for weapons to be in the hands of the state. Iraq cannot be turned into an arena from which threats are directed towards Kuwait, Jordan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. This is not sovereignty, as sovereignty begins with restricting weapons to the hands of the state.”
shafaq.com
