Stop Fundamentalism – United States Vice President, Joe Biden, warned Nouri Al-Maliki about any armed conflict with the autonomous Kurdish region forces Sunday after earlier clashes on the Kurdistan region border in Iraq, reported the Kurdish media yesterday.
Biden considered any such conflict to be a red-line and that if any fight would breakout, American forces will intervene.
“American diplomats in Baghdad are trying to contact Barzani and Al-Maliki with regards to an apparent armed clash,” a senior Kurdish official told Kuwaiti Al-Siyasa. “One possible suggestion to resolve the issue is for the American forces to be stationed in the disputed areas to prevent any conflict between the Kurdish Peshmarga forces and Iraqis,” said the same source.
But the suggestion is a non-starter with Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki despite agreement from the American side.
The United States would consider any war between Erbil and Baghdad a considerable setback to a 10 year political process the country has pursuit in Iraq.
The source also says that Joe Biden has strongly warned Nouri Al-Maliki against any armed conflict with the Kurds in which case American forces will intervene.
The Kuwaiti News agency also reported that Joe Biden also warned Iraqi Prime Minister last week not to release Ali Musa Daqduq, a Hezbollah operative responsible for killing of American troops in Iraq. However, Baghdad officials released the prisoner on Friday.
The U.S. handed over the suspect to Iraqi forces in December when its forces evacuated Iraq.
A lawyer for Daqduq told Reuters that he is now in Beirut.
Daqduq was responsible for the killing of 5 American soldiers in 2007.
