Iraqi Kurds accuse local Arabs of supporting IS
Iraqi Kurds say many local Arabs aided the Islamic State in their recent offensives against Kurdish forces.
GWER, Iraq — The ongoing conflict between the Islamic State (IS) and the Kurds in northern Iraq has fueled ethnic tensions between Iraqi Kurds and Arabs, with many Kurds accusing local Arabs of supporting IS.
Small anti-Arab protests were dispersed by police in the Kurdish capital of Erbil the afternoon of Aug. 9, and in the town of Gwer, just 30 kilometers (18 miles) outside the main checkpoint leading to Erbil. Kurds accused the local Arabs of supporting the Islamist militants.
“We know them face by face, name by name, and we even know where they live. I don’t know what happened,” a Kurdish teacher from Gwer, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons, told Al-Monitor.
In May 2013, Erbil was named the Arab capital of tourism for 2014. The city had anticipated at least 3 million visitors in 2013, including many Arab tourists from Iraq, but the situation has drastically changed. Instead of hosting tourists, Iraqi Kurdistan is now a refugee haven for those fleeing the fighting between IS militants and government forces.
