IRAQ SUNNI LEADER CALLS ON BIDEN TO SUPPORT AUTONOMY

Mon 23 November 2020:

Leaders of Sunnis in Iraq convened and called for the incoming US administration under President-elect Joe Biden to help them obtain autonomous rule in the areas of Sunni majorities in the north and west of the country, Al-Khaleej Online reported on Friday.

One of the prominent leaders who attended the meeting was Rafi Al-Issawi, the former finance minister and deputy prime minister during the era of Nouri Al-Maliki.

Reporting Intelligence Online, the news website conveyed that these calls came due to “continuous violations” committed by the Shia militias in the areas once controlled by Al-Qaeda, as Shia groups controlled these areas after forcing out Al-Qaeda.

These violations pushed the Sunni leaders to agree on calling on Biden and his deputy Kamala Harris to help them achieve their goal.

Segregating Iraq into three major ethnoreligious groups – Arab Shias, Arab Sunnis, and Kurds – into self-governing regions has been Biden’s plan for more than one and a half decades.

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One of Iraq’s prominent Sunni leaders, who according to the Voice of America vehemently opposed Biden’s plan when it was announced, was Misha’an Al-Juburi, who congratulated Biden on his victory by posting on Twitter: “We now look forward to implementing his plan in Iraq, which we previously opposed.”