International air ban over Iraqi Kurdistan comes into effect

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

#WORLD NEWS SEPTEMBER 29, 2017 / 10:31 AM / UPDATED 34 MINUTES AGO

International air ban over Iraqi Kurdistan comes into effect

Reuters Staff
1 MIN READ

ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - An ban on international flights to Iraqi Kurdistan, imposed by Iraq’s central government in retaliation for the region’s vote for independence, went into effect at 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) on Friday, Iraqi state TV said.

Baghdad had given the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) until 6:00 p.m. to hand over control of its international airports in Erbil and Sulaimaniya to avoid the ban. The KRG said it would not comply.

The last international flight from Erbil, the seat of the KRG, took off at about 5:00 pm (1400 GMT), an airport official said. The Zagrosjet flight was heading to Istanbul.

Reporting by Raya Jalabi; editing by Andrew Roche

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-kurds-referendum-air/international-air-ban-over-iraqi-kurdistan-comes-into-effect-idUSKCN1C4241

[NCDem777]

1. Honestly,

Last edited Fri Sep 29, 2017, 05:56 PM - Edit history (1)

I think we should support Kurdistan. Of the three Iraqi tribes, the Kurds were the only ones who gave a rat's ass about making the whole post-Saddam democratic Iraq thing work. The Shia, both as a government and as a people, were more concerned about getting back at the Sunni, consequences be damned. The Sunni went off and made ISIS, plunging Iraq and most of the ME into chaos.

And neither of them like the Kurds anyway. This is an important point.

The Kurds did a good chunk of the fighting against ISIS and were key players in most of the major victories. However, they have zero reasons to expect that upon ISIS' defeat, that Iraq won't be back at square one.

The Shia are pissed at the Sunni, now even more so, and even if the government gets their shit together, fat chance, the people will not. The Shia WILL treat the Sunni like garbage in retaliation for ISIS' atrocities and then some Sunni Imam will do some rabblerousing.

And then ISIS will be back under a different name.

The Kurds, above all else, just want a way out. They're tired of being caught between two warring tribes who can only seem to agree on not liking Kurds.

And unless there is an independent Kurdistan, they're always going to be dragged down by the Shia and Sunni.