The op-ed below was written by Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Representative to the United States.
Thanking US Veterans For Helping the Kurds
by Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman
On this Veterans Day, I would like to take the opportunity to express the gratitude of the people of the Kurdistan Region to American veterans of combat and humanitarian operations in Kurdistan and throughout Iraq.
It pained me on Oct. 22 to learn that an American had paid the ultimate price standing up to tyranny and terrorism in Iraq. During a Kurdish-led mission that rescued 69 people who faced daily torture and certain execution at the hands of ISIS, when our Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers came under fire, Army Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler of Roland, Okla., valiantly engaged the enemy, tipping the balance back into their favor. Wheeler was wounded and later died. In Kurdistan we grieve his loss as one of our own.
History of U.S.-Kurdish Relationship
The relationship between the people of Kurdistan and the U.S. military spans decades. In 1991, when Saddam Hussein threatened to commit more atrocities and sent millions of Kurds fleeing into the mountains, the United States initiated Operation Provide Comfort, delivering humanitarian supplies and providing safe haven to refugees returning to their homes.
The U.S. Air Force’s Operation Northern Watch prevented Saddam’s planes from retaliating against the Kurds, and the no-fly zone they enforced gave us the political space to create a Kurdistani administration outside of Saddam’s immediate grasp.
The bold and highly effective move by the U.S. and other allies gave the people of Kurdistan the opportunity to hold elections — the first time free elections took place anywhere in Iraq. As a result, we were able to create the Kurdistan National Assembly, the Kurdistan Regional Government and appoint the Peshmerga as our official military force.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
In 2003, Operation Iraqi Freedom liberated us from a cruel dictator and delivered a bright future to the people of Kurdistan. Together with U.S. Special Forces commandos, our Peshmerga smashed the al-Qaida affiliate Ansar al-Islam in Operation Viking Hammer. We are unabashedly proud of the fact that during Operation Iraqi Freedom, not single American soldier was killed or wounded in the Kurdistan Region.
U.S. Intervention on Mount Sinjar
In August 2014, when tens of thousands of Yezidi Kurds were stranded on Mount Sinjar and desperate for food and water after fleeing from ISIS, American C-130s dropped aid and medical supplies. Days later, when ISIS came within 28 miles of our capital, Erbil, U.S. fighter jets began air strikes, halting their advance.
Battling ISIS
Today, U.S. aircraft coordinate constantly with our Peshmerga units from the Combined Joint Operations Center in Erbil to pound ISIS positions and halt assault. U.S. and coalition military advisers are training and equipping Peshmerga troops and counterterrorism teams. Together, we have liberated more than 14,000 square miles from ISIS, and are helping protect nearly 2 million Syrian refugees and displaced Iraqis.
Because of the bravery and selflessness of American men and women in uniform, in 25 years the Kurdistan Region has gone from suffering genocide to a prosperous region that is protecting refugees and working to defeat terrorism.
On behalf of the people of Kurdistan, I thank American veterans, who serve and sacrifice so that others may live free. Our Peshmerga are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with you against terrorism and injustice.
[Read the original op-ed here]
