Barzani warns of civil war as 18 die in Baghdad blasts

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Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, on Thursday warned from the outbreak of civil war after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of this year. He said that the withdrawal of the Americans has paved the way to a civil war.

Barzani stressed that the Kurds will play a role to prevent this war. He added that the Kurds will not participate in such a war.

Commenting on the agreement of Arbil, which was concluded last year and resulted in the formation of the government and the election of Parliament Speaker, Barzani acknowledged the existence of differences in the interpretation of the Constitution by the various parties. He stated that Nouri al-Maliki bears the bulk of the responsibility for this situation as the prime minister and commander of the armed forces. He denied that the Arbil Agreement implies any secret items.

Meanwhile, a twin bombing killed 18 people Thursday in a Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad. Two police officials said the first blast, at a music store shortly after 7 p.m., killed two people. The second bomb struck four minutes later, as rescue workers and others rushed to the scene, the officials told the AP.