Congress warns Kurds against further steps after independence vote
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s decision to go ahead with its referendum has tempered years of robust congressional support for the Iraqi Kurds.
![MIDEAST-CRISIS/KURDS-REFERENDUM Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani casts his vote during Kurds independence referendum in Erbil, Iraq September 25, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC19D3BD78F0](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2017/09/RTS1DMCB.jpg/RTS1DMCB.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=xtQALOKG)
The Iraqi Kurds’ independence vote on Sept. 25 has forced Congress to rethink its longtime support of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The KRG has enjoyed bipartisan US support and a great deal of autonomy ever since the first Gulf War in 1991. Its decision to go ahead with a referendum that threatens to unravel the regional unity against the Islamic State (IS), however, has ruffled feathers on Capitol Hill.