Iraq's Kurds Push For An Independence Vote

Iraqi Kurdish President Asks Parliament To Prepare For Independence Vote -- Reuters

(Reuters) - The president of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region asked its parliament on Thursday to plan a referendum on Kurdish independence, signaling his impatience with Baghdad, which is fighting to repel Sunni insurgents and struggling to form a new government.

The United States has urged the Kurds to stand with Baghdad as Iraq faces an onslaught by Sunni Muslim militants led by an al Qaeda offshoot who have seized large parts of the north and west and are threatening to march on the capital.

Iraq’s 5 million Kurds, who have governed themselves in relative peace since the 1990s, have expanded their territory by as much as 40 percent in recent weeks as the sectarian insurgency has threatened to split the country.

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More News On Iraq's Kurds Pushing For An Independence Vote

Kurds seek independence vote amid Iraq 'chaos' -- AFP
Kurdish President Calls for Independence Referendum -- AP
Iraq's Kurds push for independence referendum -- Al Jazeera
Kurdish president calls for commission to investigate independence referendum -- UPI
Kurds push for independence vote amid Iraq chaos -- The Guardian
Kurdish Leader Sets Path to Independence Vote -- WSJ
Independence vote on the cards for Iraq’s Kurds -- Euronews
Iraqi Kurd Chief Asks to Set Date on Independence Vote -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Iraqi Kurd Officials Lobbying for Independence in Washington -- WSJ
Baghdad as US Pushes Back -- ABC News
The Kurdish push for independence is a big problem for Baghdad -- Dan Murphy, CSM
Kurdistan faces long, fraught road to sustainable independence -- Simon Tisdall, The Guardian
Iraqi Kurdistan profile -- BBC

My Comment: The Kurds know that in order to have a successful independent state .... all roads lead to Washington. But the U.S. is pushing back. My prediction .... if the situation in Iraq deteriorates further, an independent Kurdish state will be a reality within 4-6 months.