On Thursday, Kurdish leaders used their Eid al-Adha messages to condemn Baghdad’s decision to cut the salaries of government employees in the Kurdistan Region.\

“As we approach this holy Eid, it comes at a time when, through an unjust and oppressive decision, the salaries and livelihoods of the people of the Kurdistan Region have been cut off by the authorities in Baghdad,” President Masoud Barzani said in a statement. 

“This act of salary deprivation and the policy of impoverishing the Kurdish people is no different from the Anfal Campaign, the chemical attacks, and genocides committed by the former regime against the people of Kurdistan.”

Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani added in a post on X that it is “unfortunate that we are celebrating this Eid under difficult financial circumstances due to the punishment imposed on the people of Kurdistan by the federal government.

“We assure you that every effort will be made to end this injustice against the salary earners of Kurdistan. Eid Mubarak, and may you live in good health.”

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani underlined that the “issue concerning the salaries of employees in the Kurdistan Region requires resolution through dialogue and mutual understanding, grounded in the constitution, legal frameworks, and agreements that promote the public interest of the country.

“We assure the citizens of Kurdistan that we will persist in advocating for their rights and pursuing all constitutional remedies. We hope that this occasion will encourage rational dialogue and shared responsibility, nurturing a more hopeful future for all communities in Iraq.”