rudaw.net | March 05/2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bernard-Henri Levy believes directly showing the contribution of the Kurdish Peshmerga to a select group of congressmen through his documentary, 'Peshmerga,' will speak to the "beating heart of American democracy" and not the White House.

Two Republican congressmen, Senator Roger Wicker and Representative Ralph Abraham, are sponsoring the event on Tuesday.

"These congressmen decided as a sort of ... counterweight to this abandonment of Kurdistan, to organize a screening of this documentary," Levy told Rudaw.

Levy was an outspoken supporter of the Kurdistan Region's independence referendum that was held in September.

Following the 93-percent 'Yes' vote prevailing, Kurdistan did not declare independence, and lost disputed or Kurdistani areas to Iraqi Security Forces supported by Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi.

"The decision of making the screening has been undertaken by a group of congressmen who understood that this betrayal of the Kurds by America is a shame. It's a big political mistake," said Levy.

The United States has admitted that Iran-backed Hashd used US-manufactured Abrams main battle tanks in the Kirkuk offensive, calling it a violation of end-use arms agreements.

Iraq is increasingly incapable of maintaining the US-made tanks, as Foreign Policy has reported US contractors are no longer being paid to do repairs.

More than 1,700 Peshmerga gave their lives in the three-year ISIS conflict, with 10,000 more being injured.

"To have the Peshmerga enter into the Congress through this documentary, to have the Peshmerga raising their voice through this documentary inside the house of the law in America for me is an important event," said Levy.

Many in the Kurdistan Region believe Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has taken punitive measures because of the referendum by imposing an international flight ban, auditing payrolls, budget slashes, and occupying some pre-2003 areas.