The grandeur and disrepair inside the parliant hall ford a strange contrast.
On the towering do remained golden mosaic inlays depicting mythological scenes from the ancient Two River Basin, though there was a large patch of repair on the left side, with glaringly unmatched colors.
328 deep red velvet seats were arranged in a semicircle, most of which were already occupied.
The air was filled with the distinctive dry scent of the air conditioner, mixed with the fragrance of n's cologne, sweat, and the sll of ink emanating from paper.
Samir was guided to the podium.
A spotlight shone on him, noticeably raising the temperature.
He could clearly see the diverse faces below.
Among them were the red and white checkered headscarves characteristic of the Kurd people, the black robes of Southern Shia elders, custom suits of Sunni businessn, and traditional attire of Turkn and Yazidi minority representatives.
Many were whispering amongst themselves.
Everyone's eyes occasionally glanced at him, with appraisal, curiosity, hostility, various emotions surging in the undercurrent.
The Speaker struck the gavel.
"The 147th full eting of the parliant is now in session. Today's first item on the agenda: listen to the report by Commander Samir of the 'Liberation Forces' on the security situation in the northwest, and conduct preliminary inquiries on Ministry of Defense Proposal No. 44 — regarding the incorporation of the 'Liberation Forces' into the ard forces of Illiguo."
The applause was sparse, mostly out of courtesy.
Samir adjusted the microphone, the tal scraping emitted an ear-piercing echo.
"Honorable Speaker, esteed mbers of parliant, I am Samir Hussein Fadil, the commander of the 'Liberation Forces'."
His voice echoed in the hall, lacking the battlefield roar, appearing sowhat thin.
He cleared his throat, forcing himself to face forward rather than looking down at his notes.
"In the past three years, my soldiers and I have fought against the 1515 Ard in the deserts of Anbar Province, on the streets of Mosul, and in the mountains of Sinjar. We lost 2,782 brothers, their nas engraved in our hearts. We won the liberation of Mosul, Bayji, and Hulmatu, allowing at least 250,000 civilians to return ho."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the hall below.
Soone in the Shiite region nodded, the Kurd people region was silent, and the Sunni region displayed complex expressions.
"Today, we control most areas around Mosul, Bayji, and Hulmatu, we stand guard at checkpoints, patrol the borders, and clear explosives in the ruins. But we lack dicines, fuel, heavy weapons, and our soldiers have received no allowances. The remnants of 1515 are reorganizing, crossing the Siria border, training recruits in desert strongholds. Without the support of regular troops, we will not be able to hold the liberated lands in the future."
Samir gripped the edge of the podium, his palms sweaty and slick.
"I stand here not as a politician, but as a soldier. I ask the parliant to approve the proposal to incorporate the 'Liberation Forces' into the Defense Army, allowing us to justly defend this country and obtain the supplies and support we deserve. The situation in the northwest remains dangerous, even though we temporarily repelled the 1515 Ard, driving them back to Titrick, yet they are like Scorpions in the desert, potentially erging from the sand at any mont to sting this country again and injure its people."
Following the guidance of Song Heping, he refrained from ntioning specific political factions, focusing only on military needs and national interests.
The speech was succinct and powerful, with the applause still sparse at the end.
Primarily from the Shiite mber seats, about seventy to eighty stood and applauded.
In the Kurd people region, only two or three people symbolically clapped, the rest watched coldly.
The applause from the Sunni region was polite and brief, like completing a ceremonial procedure.
The Speaker routinely thanked the speech, announcing the start of the inquiry session.
As expected, the first to raise a hand was Sherko Bakir, a Kurdistan Democratic Party mber, a middle-aged man with gray hair and sharp eyes.
"Commander, you ntioned incorporating your forces into the Defense Army. However, according to Article 117 of the constitution, the Kurd region has its own security forces (Peshrga). If your forces beco part of the Defense Army, does it an they will likely carry out missions in the Kurd Region? Wouldn't that violate the autonomy granted to us by the constitution?"
The question was sharp and professional, directly addressing the core conflict.
Samir responded with a prepared answer:
"The Defense Army operations in autonomous regions must be coordinated with local governnts, this is the existing procedure. If the 'Liberation Forces' are reorganized, they will strictly adhere to this procedure."
"But the existing procedure is often ignored!"
Another Kurd mber stood up to shout, a representative of the Patriotic Alliance, his voice booming, "In 2011, the Defense Army withdrew from Kirkuk without coordination, leaving our land to the 1515. It was through our own blood that we took back Kirkuk! Last year in Sinjar, Defense Army artillery accidentally injured civilians, without any coordination! How can you ensure your forces will not beco a tool of Baghdad to interfere in Kurdistan?"
Samir took a deep breath, striving to stay calm:
"We only care about counter-terrorism missions—"
"Counter-terrorism missions?"
A third Kurd mber, a young representative from the "Change Movent", directly and rudely interrupted him.
"Commander, let's speak frankly. If you control the northwest and beco regular troops, where does that leave Kurdistan? To our north are the Turkn, to the east are the Persians, to the west is the chaos of Siria, to the south—will be your sphere of influence. Then the Kurd Autonomous Region will be a completely surrounded island, losing any bargaining chips for political demands. This isn't an anti-terrorism issue, it's a geopolitical survival issue!"
This sentence voiced the true fear of the Kurd people.
A commotion erupted in the hall, with impolite discussions erupting everywhere.
In the Sunni region, a few elders exchanged glances, clearly realizing the sa issue.
Samir's rise not only affects the Kurd people, but if he grows stronger in the future, it could change the internal power balance of Illiguo, possibly impacting their own interests.
"Silence! Silence!" The Speaker struck the gavel: "Please keep questions relevant to the proposal itself!"
A Sunni mber took the opportunity to stand up:
"Commander, what is the percentage of Shiite mbers in your forces? If reorganized, would it impact the sectarian balance of the military?"
Another sensitive question. Samir felt sweat running down his spine, soaking through his camouflage uniform.
"We recruit all Illigos willing to fight against the 1515 extremist forces, regardless of sect. Currently, about 70% of the forces are Shiite, 20% Sunni, with the remainder from other minority groups."
"70%!" The mber exaggeratedly spread his arms: "And in the existing Defense Army, the percentage of Shiite mbers already exceeds 60%! If your forces are added, the military will beco a tool for a single sect!"
"We are fighting terrorists, not conducting sectarian population statistics!"
A Shiite mber could not resist angrily retorting.
The argunt intensified.
The Speaker forcefully struck the gavel, but with limited effect.
Kurd, Sunni, and Shiite mbers accused one another, so bringing up the 2015 budget allocation issue, so ntioning the attribution of Kirkuk's oil revenue, and so even pointing to the responsibility for the fall of Mosul then.
Samir's proposal's preliminary inquiry procedure beca the spark igniting long-standing grievances.
The inquiry lasted forty minutes, ultimately ending hastily with the Speaker's warning of an early recess.
When Samir stepped down from the podium, the T-shirt under his camouflage was completely soaked.
Yusuf approached, his expression solemn as a funeral.
"Worse than expected! Damn it!" he cursed quietly as he handed over a bottle of water, "The Kurds are united in opposition, the Sunni 'National Power Alliance' just held a short eting in the corridor and confird their stance against. Fortunately, this was just a preliminary inquiry, not a final decision, otherwise, the proposal might not pass."
"When will the voting take place?" Samir asked hoarsely.
"As soon as 7 days, at the latest a month, it's uncertain."
Yusuf wiped his sweat.
"Looks like we need a miracle."
Samir turned to look for Song Heping, only to rember he was waiting outside the parliant.
A sense of powerlessness gripped him.
On the battlefield, the enemy is visible,
the target is clear.
But here, the enemy is everywhere and nowhere to be found, he wants to locate the target but it is shrouded in layers of mist.
Samir felt a sense of helplessness.
Here, in this political battlefield, trying to find the enemy left him directionless...
User Comments
0 comments from readers