Canada keeping mum as Iraqi Kurds prepare for independence referendum
OTTAWA — As the federal government considers the future of Canada’s military mission against Islamic State militants, there are growing concerns about a new battle brewing in Iraq.
The feared new conflagration revolves around the question of Kurdish independence, which has been bubbling for years but appears ready to boil over.
Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government announced earlier this month that after years of promising a referendum on independence, it would finally hold a vote on Sept. 25.
Planning is now underway despite fierce objections from Iraq’s central government in Baghdad, as well as opposition from the U.S., some European countries and most of Iraq’s neighbours.