Kurdistan

Kurdistan-Step by Step

2005-11-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

Erbil-Capital of the Kurdistan regional government.

Before i begin i would like to apologise to any readers i may still have about not posting for so long however i am going to try and blog more often..

Anyway i thought i would post this picture as when i saw it on Aliraqi.com, it made my day even if it did upset some of our arab compatriots.

I mean finally no more Ibrahim Khalil, no more Perwez Khan but directly in to Kurdistan. Even if the screen has to show arbil and not Hawler, what does it matter.

Kurd-Shia fallout/Iran kills 8 British troops

2005-10-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

15 Shia Iraqis killed following islamic fast of Ramadan.

BAGHDAD, Oct 5 (Reuters) - A deepening feud between Iraq's Kurdish president and the Shi'ite prime minister has cast doubt on whether their alliance, forged out of convenience nine months ago, will survive beyond elections in December.

If it breaks apart, as some observers expect, it could see a fundamental realignment of Iraq's political landscape, which has been dominated by pro-Iranian Islamist Shi'ites and separatist-minded, secular Kurds since elections in January.

The dispute between President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari broke into the open last week after one of Talabani's spokesmen said Jaafari should be sacked because he was monopolising power and not sticking to agreements.

Jaafari, a devout Shi'ite, responded by saying he was too busy running the country to discuss the slight with Talabani.

The two, who have vastly different characters and visions for Iraq, have long had policy differences, especially over what should be done about Kirkuk, a city sitting on huge oil reserves that is claimed by Kurds, ethnic Turkmen and Arabs, many of whom are Shi'ites transplanted from the south by Saddam Hussein.

The latest dispute, coming a little over two months before new elections, appears to mark a more substantive departure, however, as they weigh up what sort of allegiances will leave them with the most power after December's vote.

"The significance of Talabani's break with Jaafari is actually more serious than mere parliamentary politics," Juan Cole, a professor of history at the University of Michigan, said on his website (www.juancole.com) earlier this week.

"The always troubled and uneasy Shi'ite-Kurdish alliance was the I-beam that kept the house of Iraq standing. Talabani has just taken a blow torch to the I-beam, and it is not clear whether there is anything to keep the roof from collapsing now."

That is a dramatic way of looking at it, but it is clear the agreement that brought the parties together in January, when the Shi'ites needed Kurdish support to secure a strong enough majority in parliament to form a government, is now fragile.

UNCERTAIN ALLIANCES

The key to what happens next is the Shi'ite coalition that Jaafari heads, the United Iraqi Alliance, formed under the direction of Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's foremost Shi'ite cleric, in the run-up to January's polls.

The alliance brings together more than a dozen groups but is principally made up of various factions of Dawa, which is Jaafari's party, and the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), formed in Iranian exile and also Islamist.

While the alliance did well in January's election, winning almost half the votes, Sistani, who rarely speaks in public, is said by some followers to be dissatisfied with its performance in office, amid allegations of corruption and infighting, and it is not certain that he will give his blessing to the coalition again come December.

Since Sistani's opinion holds sway with Iraq's 60-percent Shi'ite majority, withholding his approval could be key.

"The United Iraqi Alliance is unwieldy," said Toby Dodge, an Iraq expert at Queen Mary College at the University of London.

"Sistani put his weight behind it in January, but it would be hard for him to do that again in December.

"If Sistani pulls in his horns, which one would think he would, and doesn't back the alliance, the alliance will fracture ... and the people who are going to hurt are Dawa and SCIRI."

That could leave several political groups, including that led by rebel Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, vying for the Shi'ite religious vote, splitting the power of each party.

At the same time it would open the way for secular Shi'ites, such as the party led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, to draw moderates away from the United Iraqi Alliance.

Allawi is already talking about building a party that draws support from moderates across the spectrum -- Shi'ites, Sunnis, Christians and others. He could also prove a natural ally for Talabani and the Kurds, who favour secular politics.

"You have a very open race for this next election," said Dodge. "It could see a fundamental realignment in the political landscape, but it depends on Sistani."

At the same time, there are pragmatic reasons why the Kurds and religious Shi'ites may stay together for now: they largely wrote a new constitution, securing Kurdish autonomy in the north and similar rights to Shi'ites in the oil-rich south.

However, that constitution will be voted on at a referendum on Oct 15. If it is approved, as expected, then the Kurds and religious Shi'ites will have got what they wanted -- and may not need each other any more.

Other Iraq news today:

Britain has accused Iran of responsibility for explosions which have caused the deaths of all eight UK soldiers killed in Iraq this year.

Free Kurdistan-'a fresh idea'- from the National review

Iraq reverses changes to referendum-Due to Un/Us/Sunni arab discontent

Congratulation's KURDSTANIS

2005-06-13T03:47:00.000-07:00

Har bijhi Kurd u Kurdistan

Our 2 president's.

President Barzani

KDP President Barzani, alongside Peshmarga-S. Kurdistan 1989.

I would just like to congratulate all kurdistanis whether they be arabs, turkmens christians or Kurds on the election of our new president Massoud Barzani. Lets all hope and pray he is capable of succeding our last president the immortal Qazi Muhamad. Now all go and party hard.

Har bijhi KURD KURDISTAN wa PESHMARGAKANMAN.

Kurdish contribution to 'Iraqi freedom' surpasses Brit's in 1 week.

2005-05-05T15:19:00.000-07:00

mother of Kurdish Martyr.

Hawler-Kurdistan

At least 79 Kurds have died this week due to the reattachment of Kurdistan to Iraq. 78 in bombings and at least one in a beheading. However Sistani and his cronies still think it is acceptable to debate whether the Kurdish people deserve regional self-determination. The Kurdistani people, the second biggest contributors in terms of blood in the liberation of Iraq are now being denied their most fundamental demand, The question is how long will the Iraqi non-federation last?

Mam Jalal amuses arabs with jokes about Kudish follishness!

2005-04-26T17:21:00.000-07:00

His Excellency the President of Iraq, Mam-'Uncle'-Jalal.

I just saw an excerpt from an interview given by mam Jalal which is to be aired this sunday by AL-Sharqia news network. In the interview mam Jalal tells a joke about Kurds, I qoute: Their is an Kurd on an Iraqi airways Jet suddenly, there is commotion and the Kurd is told that the plane is going to explode, the Kurd replies: I could'nt care less the jet belogs to the government (hi Hukmata)'. While i understand that this is mam Jalals way of explaining the Kurds hate for the Iraqi government (circa 1924-) I just can't help thinking that the jokes origin is arabic and it is'nt about Kurdish contempt for Government but about Kurdish idiocy.

I mean Talabani is now Iraqi president but does he have to make fun of us now? this comes a week after he said that Kurdish independence was not only a dream but a fantasy!, is this what he told the martyred peshmarga?. Did they die for Islamic totalitarianism in Iraq?. If this is how we behave in governement who can blame the arabs and for that matter the turks and persians for constantly making us the but of their jokes?

Turkmen Front disssolved in Kurdistan.

2005-04-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

The Iraqi Turkem Front has dissolved following allegations of corruption.

Its been reported that the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF)-'Baray-i-Turkmani' has just been dissolved. The ITF which stated that it was willing to resort to armed violence to prevent the democratic desicion of 59% of kirkuk's electorate being carried out has dissolved following its 4th conference last week.
Peyamner is reporting that the ITF's Kurdistan regional government (KRG) repersentative in Hawler city, Abdul-Qadir Bazargan, has asked the KRG to protect its premises in Kurdistan. The groups flag has also been lowered on all of it's offices including the military offices which were receiving military aid from Turkey until recently.
It's thought that Turkey withdrew all aid to the ITF when the elections showed that there were not 2 million Turkmen in Iraq as the TIF had claimed.

Saddam's first interview since Iraqi liberation.

2005-04-23T17:15:00.000-07:00

Saddam Hussein-Former distator of Iraq.

While Kurdish attempts to filibuster Jafari's nomination continue unabated in the Iraqi federal capital, most talk here in Kurdistan is about a phone in on one of the poplular 'your point of view' shows.

I know this sounds amazing but Saddam Hussein, former dictator and tyrant, phoned in to the AL-Faha network's daily current affairs programme this tuesday. Now i personally thought that this was a hoax at first but the programmes presenter and the network have confirmed that the voice heard was the nasal intonation of Mr Hussein himself.

Saddam declared that he was still the president of the Republic of Iraq and that he was speaking from the bathroom area of Baghdad international airport were he is being hed by the forces of 'occupation'. He stated that he was being held in a 'miserable' situation and asked the 'kindhearted and generous' people of Iraq to protest untill he is relocated to one of the republican palaces which fit his rank as head of state. He went on to complain about the food situation at the prison, asking several times if the presenter had seen 'Pakla' beans (a common food in southern Iraq) move, refering to his earlier claim that his food was infested with maggots.

When asked about his feelings regarding his trial, Hussein declared that there was no authority which could try him in accordance to Iraqi law while refering to Iraq's Baathist era constitution. When the presenter pointed out that he was being tried in accordance to international law the former president stated that the international community should in fact be trying President G. Bush Jnr. since it was he who had attacked Iraq and not 'Iraq which had invaded the US'. When the presenter asked him about the demands for the death penalty from the Iraqi people, Saddam stated his 'stomach had gone' ('an Iraqi phrase refering to shock) that people would dare lie to the extent of saying his beloved people want him dead. Following the conversation numerous Iraqi's phoned in to tell the world about how they and their relatives had suffered under the former tyrant.

I heard the converstaion myself and i can tell you that from my recollection of Saddam's interminable speeches that this was Hussein, however there are still people who doubt that Iraq's strongman can have fallen so low, but who would have thought 2 years ago that the 'Butcher of Baghdad' not to mention Halabja would be found in a hole?.

a Kurdish Skyscraper. Part 2:

2005-04-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

'Beautiful City Towers' Sulaimaniya-Liberated Kurdistan.

Due to the interest i have researched the project i talked about last week: The Beuatiful City Centre in sulaimaniya:

The building will be 26 floors high (78m), with its needle it's going to be at least 110m high. It will have 270 rooms available to guests. The second floor will have a world class restaurant with a capacity of 120 people, while the first floor will have 4 other restaurants with the capacity to seat 1000 people. There will be a sauna, swimming people and sports hall which will be in alignment with Olympic standards, while 2 conferance centres are going to allow meetings of upto 1000 people. There will also be a multiplex cinema aswell as a Video recording/film studio institute which will allow the creation of world class Kurdish cinema and TV.

The major share holder is Farouq Mala Mustafa (no Relation to President Barzani) Who has said that the Shari Jwan project is the biggest financial as well as constructive project in Iraq and Kurdistan. He has also stated that the the project cost will be $45,000,000 and that the design stage alone has cost $1,300,000.

The Sheraton, Hilton, Marriot and Intercontinental hotel groups are currently in talks with the Kurdish investors over who will manage the Hotel side of the bussiness.

Construction begins next week with the leveling of the Re'aya ridge (Girdi Re'aya), while 2 firms based in Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively are bidding on construction rights with 40 more days until a final tender is named, from that date they will have 8 months to begin end state construction.

My Favourite part: the building will stand on land ear marked for a Republican Palace by Saddam.

There has been a lot of negativety in the posts made here and on Kurdo's site but while i fully understand that the natural beauty of our homeland is sacred and that a skyscraper cannot ever make up for the deaths of the anfal, it is important that we Kurds encourage investment in our nation as every dollar an American or Briton etc. etc. makes in Kurdistan is a dollar which will be defended by their governments.

Ghaddafi's solution

2005-04-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Muammar Ghaddafi and the Kurds.

After some searching i found these words of 'wisdom' from the craziest ledear in the world from his official website, well at least his hearts in the right place, here goes (from http://www.algathafi.org/akrad/akrad-en.htm) :

What did the Kurds gain from the IRAQ affair……… nothing. Unless embracing the colonization forces, and kisses on cheeks of the new colonization rulers, and the accuse with great treason, and allies with colonization. Whereas the Kurds situation did not change, but it became more worst at least from the moral and appearance points of view.

We expect that at such historical dramatical hours, it will be a rare historical chance for Kurds to graspit, similar to the chance of conquering Berlin City which was grasped by the Jews, defend of axis countries, and victory of Allies in the second world war. This should involve announcement of Kurd country, the historical hope for the suppressed Kurd nation…..There is nothing……., the Kurds are nationals in the countries where they were found.
What is new ? what are the gains ? ……..nothing. The Kurd is a Kurd a citizen from the second or third class in all countries of near east..
Do not let them deceive you by appointing Mr. Hoshyar Zibari as a Minister for Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding the recent situation of IRAQ , now a days lieutenant general Noureddin Mahmoud was a prime minister for IRAQ, also Mr. Ahmed Baban, both of them were Kurds. Also the ministers of public works, communications, interior justice, finance and defense were all Kurds.
The chief of staff of Iraqi army was given to Kurds for example: lieutenant general Bak Sidgi, lieutenant general Hussein Fawzi, lieutenant colonel Amen Zaki, even the percentage of Kurds in Iraqi country employees was 25% , where as it is 97% in Kurds area. The Kurds in their areas in Iraq had rural councils, district%2

First Kurdish skyscraper!

2005-04-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

The beautiful city towers-Sulaimaniya

This is the new Hotel which going to be built in Sulaimaniya. I thought i would put it up as it looks like its going to be the best looking buildng in Kurdistan and probably even Iraq.
It called the Shari Jwan Santar and its going to be built on the re'aya ridge in sulaimani city. It will be a hotel/conference/leisure centre/Cinema with 400 hundred rooms. The investors say that it's the biggest project in all of Iraq and that it will create 1000 jobs in this deprived part of the city.

Mam Jalal, the first non-arab ledear of an arab state?

2005-04-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

As every Kurd knows mam Jalal became the first Kurdish president of the Republic of Iraq this week, but i am geeting sick and tired of people rewriting history to suit their political needs, he is not the first Kurdish head of state in an arab state.

For the record the first Za'em (an arabic word for complete ledear which translates as similar to Fuhrer/generalisimo/President) of Syria was a kurd: Husni al-Zaim in 1949, Adib al-Shishakli who ruled syria in 1951-1954 was a kurd from Hama, 2 prime ministers Husni and Muhsen al-Barazi of syria were also Kurdish. The last elected Iraqi premier before Qassim's coup d'etat was the Kurd ,Nuri Said, while Qassim himself was half Kurdish.

Nuri said (Kurd) with Prince Regent abdul-illah of Iraq, .

If we delve further into history we find that the Ayubid dynasty who ruled Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen were Kurds. Their Shia predesesors in Egypt the Fatamids were also Kurds, while in Iran the Qajarid dynasty were Kurdish.

More recently in Turkey both Turgut Ozal (President) and Bulent Ecevit (Prime minister) were Kurds while 3 of the most important members of the 'young turk' movement who destroyed the Ottoman empire, Abdullah Jevdet, Ishaq Sukuti and Ziya Gokalp were all Kurds (these men were the main intellectuals of Pan-Turanism!!).

Let's also not forget that Saladin the greatest general of the arab armies and the only man in history who has ever united the middle east by common consent was a Kurd from Tikrit.

Saladin, what did he ever do for you?

We kurds are not an inherantly stupid people if we put aside our loyalty to the Kurdish cause we can become whatever we want in any of the states that divide and occupy our land. It's like a deal with Shaatan, forget your Kurdish and you can have whatever you want, literally any position in society, even that of President.

I am not saying that mam Jalal has become Dr Faustus, he has been an iconic Kurdish ledear for 4 decades and has seen his people through some devastating times and i hope that he returns to his people in 8 months safe and sound, but how long will we help other nations rule us, how long will we exchange Kurdistan for a small voice in Baghdad, Ankara, Damascus or Tehran.

Why should one of our ledears support Palestinian independence but not Kurdish liberty, why should we oppose Isreali settlement of Kurdish land when Palestinians continue to occupy our Jerusalem, Kirkuk.

Like mam Jalal said once upon a time: Kurdistan Ya Naman.

Turkish Chemical Attack:

2005-04-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

Members of the peoples defence forces of Kurdistan.

News is emergeging that the Turkish armed forces have used chemical weapons against the forces of the peshmarga in Northern Kurdistan.
It is reported that chemical agents have been used against the peshmarga in the heavy fighting which is taking place in the provinces of Tunceli and dersim, in Turkish occupied Kurdistan. It is reported that five peshmarga, all women, have died due to respiratory distress which is caused by the Sarin chemical agent, the favoured chemical of the previous baathist regime of Iraq. Dersim the birthpace of Apo Ocalan (the PKK founder) has been closed of to all members of the media and governmental agencies since the latest cmpaign was launched by the Turkish military on the 1 of April.

It has also been reported that rascist attacks by turkish members of the paramilitary, MHP, have dramatically risen with 2 Kurdish students being killed in istanbul after rascist attacks, the link below is to a video file showing an attempted lynching of 4 Kurds in trabzon, the turkish military claims that the armoured personal carrier seen in the video was sent to resuce the students however one of the protestors was killed when the APC ran him over, the students had been attempting to demonstrate against the use of F-type prisons by turkey.
Rascist attack

MAM JALAL, IRAQI PRESIDENT

2005-04-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

Mam Jalal

“We remember with pride and gratitude the awesome bravery and sacrifices the band of brothers and sisters made to initiate and reorganize resistance against our oppressors in the aftermath of the disastrous treachery of the 1975 Algiers Agreement. History records those were dark days. The nucleus of Peshmergas who decided, against tremendous odds, to challenge a totalitarian state, which enjoyed support from East and West at the time, deserve forever the thanks of the people of Kurdistan of every generation. They proved to the world that the indomitable spirit of our people for identity and freedom cannot be crushed with impunity”

Jalal Talabani, June 1, 2002

Why does'nt he want the job?

2005-04-02T18:38:00.000-08:00

Massoud Barzani, President of The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

Two months since the first free and democtratic middle eastern elections in history, the reason for the shia (UIA) stuborness in forming a government is becoming clearer. It appears that the turboned lawmakers are unhappy that Kurds have achieved a small miracle and recliamed their right to make their own future.

News is gradually emerging of a shia drive to involve the western powers in an attempt to force the kurdish ledearship into agreements which go against the interests and the desires of the people who gave them 26% of the ballots. Thankfully it seems that the kurdish leaders are holding firm, although the unwillingness of the KDP President, Masoud Barzani, to assume his role as President of the Kurdistan Region is slightly worrying. Optimists think that this is as president Barzani forsees a future independent kurdish state, if this is true it would be unwise of him to settle for the position of a state governor, however i think that this may be due to real problems with the shia over what constitutional strength the federal sate of Kurdistan will enjoy, i mean who seriously thinks that a Kurdish, secular rational and modern entity can exist within the frame work of an Arab, Shia and reactionary state.

PS there is a new english language newspaper from Kurdistan ,The Hawler Globe, you can access it through the Peyamner webpage. The Globe's claim to fame according to Peyamner is that a friend of Chelsea Clinton, who currently teaches in Hawler is a guest writer, she apparently came to Kurdistan as she like helping strange nations in strange ways (What the hell does that mean!!).

A new Kurdish city?!!

2005-03-23T18:28:00.000-08:00

Turkish intelligence officer stops 9 year old flag burners (mersin).

Nawroz this year was really great, i mean we kurds have been celebrating it for 2705 years now, but this years was probably nearly as good as the original one, with 1 million people dancing and celebrating in Amed (diyarbekir) and the celebrations feeling like a real state holiday in liberated Kurdistan (Northern Iraq). But then a jolt back to reality as news emerged of a backlash against some Kurdish children in Mersin, who had attempted to burn the Turkish flag. Although it seems really strange to me that the Turkish public is'nt asking itself: Why are 9 year old Turkish citizens burning our flag?- i mean do they ever ask why these south east anatolians (turkish double speak for Kurds) want to break away?.
Anyway it was'nt all bad news as i found about a new Kurdish city through the affair, as it turns out that Mersin is actually part of Kurdistan. It is also on the meditaranean coast, so it turns out that i am a meditaranean in some ways. This may sound strange to you but we Kurds dont really know much about our country because of the artificial borders which have imprisoned us. I mean who else suddenly discovers a new city which belongs to his people? except for a Kurd. Who else has to use the CIA factbook instead of an encyclopedia to find out about how many compatriots he should have?.

Map of Mersin Turkish occupied Kurdistan.

PS: if you havent done so please vote for Medya Daily Photoblog at The photo Bloggies. This is a really great photoblog by a guy, Medya, in Iranian occupied kurdistan, who litteraly is risking mullah style punishment to bring photos of beutiful Eastern Kurdistan to light.

Kurdo also has a great picture of Sistani endorsed 'Arak' (the Kurdish national drink) at Kurdo's World

'Iraq will have Sharia'-Al-Jafari.

2005-03-21T19:41:00.000-08:00

Ayathollah Seyyid Al-Sistani.

Why are our Leaders trying so hard to rebuild Iraq, in there last press conference both mam Jalal and Kak Massoud stated 4 times that Iraq has been destroyed and that we must make a great sacrifices in rebuilding it. I know that if Iraq is rebuilt we Kurds must participate to avoid disinfranchisement but why should we be the ones to exert all the energy, why must we make all the concessions, why should our rights and interest be bartered to appease Sunnis, Shia or Turkmen. Just this week it has been announced tha Mam Jalal is going to Najaf to attempt to rescue the 'alliance', why is it that our elected ledear has to make a journey through suicide bombings and beheadings to talk to an unelected demigod.
It appeares that Sistani has a problem with Kirkuk being Kurdistani as this Iranian illegal immigrant wants to ensure the integrity of Iraqi soil. Why dont our ledears jsut state that if the arabs want to form a government they are going to have to compromise once, that they are going to have to give Kirkuk back to its ancesteral people. Why should we Kurds sacrifice anything to ensure the establishment of Sharia law in Iraq, why should we exchange our dead for arab democracy? and most importantly what will we gain from the government of AL-Jafari, a man who has said that Iraq wil have sharia law as this reflects iraqs islamic heritage (Der Spiegel-march, 22, 2005). I mean who seriously thinks that we Kurds can retain our secularism when our central government has imposed sharia law, i cant see Sistani allowing arabs to cross the green line to have some 'arak', can you.
It looks like we may be making the same mistakes that our brothers and sisters made in Iran in 1979, where all of the Kurdistani parties as well as those of the left supported Khomeini and beleived his lies about democracy only to have their revolution betrayed by hardline islamic fascists. The liberation of Iraq is slowly being hijaked by the Shia fanatics and after our Peshmarga are disolved what bargaonong position will we Kurds be left with, we must remeber that in iraq no matter who many ballots are cast the gun reigns supreme. Our ledears should abondon the Kafke-esque position of a prisoner rebuilding the prisons walls.

The Story of Nawroz...

2005-03-18T18:54:00.000-08:00

Kawa

Once upon a time in a land far far away there was a king. This King who went by the name of Zuhak-the Dragon-had an unfortunate birth defect, 2 gigantic snakes growing from each shoulder because of a curse placed on Zuhak by the Gods for his evil ways. These snakes had to be fed with the brains of 2 children everday of the year.

Now the King's doctor who was in charge of procuring the snakes meal could'nt bring himself to kill children everyday so he would smuggle one of the children to a land beyond the mountains and feed the Basilisk's a mix of human and sheeps brains (yummy!!).

One of the subjects of this ancient despot was Kawa a poor blacksmith who had already had many of his children sacrificed in this way. When he was told that his last remaining child, his beloved daughter was to be the next to be sacrificed, Kawa marched to the land of the smuggled children raised an army and marched on the palace of Zuhak. Where he killed the tyrant with a single blow of his mighty hammer.

The sacrificial children who had survived 'the Dragon' then set out to the mountains and lit fires to tell the people of the world that the Evil King was gone and that freedom and peace would now reign in the world (sounds familiar).

Nowadays we Kurds, the desecndents of the mountain children light mighty bonfires and celebrate the downfall of Zuhak every year at the vernal equinox, 21st of March which is now our New Years-Newroz.

I wont ruin the story with what current historians think of Kawa.

NEWROZTAN PIROZ-HAPPY NEW YEARS.

2005-03-18T12:42:00.001-08:00

Kurdish demands.

2005-03-11T17:08:00.000-08:00

'Mam' Jalal (Left) and Massoud Barzani (Right)

The arab media has recently been going crazy over comments made by Masoud Barzani (the incumbent President of Kurdistan) on the AL-Arabiya news channel. With Al Jazeera complaing that this senior 'Iraqi' politician has been reluctant to fly the Iraqi flag. However President Barzanis reply was one i think that all kurds of whatever political persuasion can be proud. He stated that he refused to sit infront of the banner used by forces which had killed 8,000 of his kin and 182,000 of his compatriots. He also suggested that the iraqi government could design a new flag or that Iraq could use the pre-baathist flag of Iraq, although it seems that the arab leaders are going to cling to a flag which elicits the same response in Kurds as a swastika does in Germany.
Barzani also stated that the kurds would not be making any concessions on the administrative status of Kirkuk nor on the fact that the Kurdish candidate for the Iraqi presidency, Mam Jalal, is entitled to the job as he is the representative of the second largest bloc in the Iraqi federal parliament.
He has also been demonised by the arab media for his insistance on the status of the Peshmarga forces of kurdistan. I think the main problem in this field is a lack of understanding. the arab ledears whether shia or sunni must realise that we the kurdish people see the men of the peshmarga as our defenders. they are not the instruments of parasitic middle eastern despots as their armise are, and we will not forsake them just to appease arab opinion. This week is not only the anniversary of the Halabja chemical attacks but also the aniversary of the Raparin (uprising) when the peshmarga liberated all of kurdistan (kirkuk aswell) from the baathist occupiers, we are not likely to forget this soon and we are not likely to sacrifice the peshmarga soon either.

Ya kirkuk wa Khanaqeen ya ta mawin ajangin!

2005-03-04T15:39:00.000-08:00

Kurdish refugee- Kirkuk province, Kurdistan.

Yet again our leaders seem to be giving our natural rights away as they jostle for positions of power in an arab state. Before the elections they all proclaimed that they would never cede on any of our demands, but yet again they seem to be planing just that. First came mam Jalal's meetings with the turks 'special' repersentative to Iraq ,Koruturk, then before you know it, Kirkuk is not Kurdistani but a special example of 'living together' (peaka wa jhian), Kirkuk is'nt an integral part of Kurdistan anymore but a 'microcosm' of the Iraqi state. What makes it worse is that these leaders did'nt concede the point when Kurdistan was threatened with the turkish military but after 59% of the residents of Kirkuk voted to reintegrate into Kurdistan. Even now, when the arab leader Jafari has declared that he will never concede on Kirkuk (was'nt that meant to be our position), our leaders still herald him as a 'good' man.

For once in our modern history we hold real power, the power to prevent Iraq ever having a government and possibly the power to derail any future iraqi constitution, it should not be us who makes concessions but the arabs. I just hope that our leaders come to their senses and realise that it was'nt them who we voted for but Kurdistan. They must realise that the shahid did not give their lifes for arab democracy but for Kurdish freedom.

'Metal Storm'.

2005-02-24T07:58:00.000-08:00

Turkish soldier holding head of 2 Kurdish Peshmargas decapitated by the Turkish army in Hakkari (1994).

Members of the Turkish occupation forces-North Kurdistan (Hakkari)

For years the Kurds of Northern Kurdistan have been Complaining to the world about the culture of machismo and sadism with which the Turkish armed forces have persecuted the Kurds. The international community has turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the Kurdish cause. However it appears that Turkey has recently reprioritised it's enemies with Erdogan's government, as well as much of the public, focusing on the Americans as a greater threat than the kurds.

The greatest indication of this shift has been in the book stores, where 'Metal Storm' has become a best seller. With 100,000 copies being sold in 2 months making the book a record breaker for turkish literature. Metal storm, which was written by a turk who worked as textile manufacturer in the US, is about a Turkish commando platton which enters Southern Kurdistan (or Northern Iraq as Turkey prefers), and is then attacked by US forces while performing 'heroic' duties (burning Kurdish villages, beheading Kurds and prohibiting the Kurdish language no doubt). In the book this incident turns into a full blown war in which Istanbul is bombed and Washington D.C is destroyed with nuclear weapons in retaliation (a terrorist attack by turkish scientists). Will we see war between these NATO allies, i doubt it. Although, the fact that a chart topping 82% of respondents in a BBC world poll indicated that Turkey is the worlds most anti-american state (France only-75%!), may mean that it is time for America and her allies to rethink their positions.

It appears that Turkish democracy is'nt a example for the Islamic world, while Turkish fascism probably is.

The real haggling begins!

2005-02-23T07:54:00.000-08:00

Well its been 21 days since the first free elections in Iraq and the new government has yet to be announced. While the rest of the world is concentrating on who will be President and who will be prime minister, the issue seems to be one in which most kurds and Iraqis are already certain. Mam Jalal is going to be President and Ibrahim Al-Jafari (Dawa party) prime minister, and to tell you the truth how could it be otherwise, as we Kurds came second and the Shias first so its only logical that we share the top 2 positions between ourselves. Although Yawar (current president) has said that he wants to be president, he only got 150,000 votes so i cant really see him playing a role in the future.

'Mam' Jalal Talabani-PUK secretary General.(the one in the frame)

The main discussion in Kurdistan is whether the Kurds should go all out for the ministry of Foreign affairs or the ministry of oil. As it seems that we will probably only get one of the 4 top ministerial positions (oil, foreign, defence and interior ministeries). With the Kurdistan democratic party (KDP) arguing that its man Hoshyar Zebari should be kept as foreign minister while the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan wants the oil ministry for a kurd instead. Ofcourse the KDP's position is'nt helped by the fact that Zebari has'nt gained the only material achievement which a foriegn minister can, passports in both KURDISH and arabic. While a kurd as oil minister promises development for the Kurdistan region as well as the potental for the ministeries resources to be used as a basis for securing Kurdish independence in the oil sector and future complete independence for Kurdistan. Personally, I hope the KDP understands that while Zebari did a very important job in showing rascist arabs that kurds can do things as good as them (better actually), he should now stand aside and not allow personal ambition or party politics stand in the way of kurdistans future.

'ssshhh! It has to be a secret'

2005-02-20T17:18:00.000-08:00

'The bees do it, the birds do it, even educated Arabs do it'

'it has to be a secret'

Ofcourse i am talking about relations with Israel the second most hated country in the middle east (finely, we Kurds come first at something).

Anyways, hypocrisy is the norm in the middle east but sometimes some kind of response is neccassary. First of all today Jordan reopened its Embassy in Isreal, but ofcourse we kurds are'nt allowed to even talk to an israeli. This comes after Turkeys war games with Isreal, although they have the nerve of saying that we are the ones being trained by the Israelis, and finally do you know that Egypt allows in thousands of Israeli tourists every year, although a single israeli visa stamp can mark you for death in Syria especially if your a kurd visitng your family.

Now even the Palestinians are talking to them. So why should'nt we Kurds have a diplomatic relationship with the Israelis the only other nation which knows what it means to be truely hated.

PS: Kurdish blogs get the femenine touch (always nicer):

Pamaee 'Pink'

Pepulay Kurdistan

Suzan

Justice 'IRAQI' style.

2005-02-16T08:15:00.000-08:00

Malik Duhan Al-Hassan (Iraqi Justice minister) recieves the interim constitution from L.P. Bremer.

Malek Duhan al-Hassan, interim minister of justice (Iraq), president of the Iraqi democratic party and lawyer to Abd Hamud (Saddams right hand man). Has told the arab newspaper Al shariq, that he is sure that Saddam was not behind the mass gassing of Halabja city, kurdistan. Apparently, the Iranians did it. Although this goes against all eye witness accounts as well as documents which indicate that saddams cousin was in, hands on command of the attack. He also states the Tariq Azziz is innocent of all crimes against the Kurds and the shias. What is more disconcerting is that many people in the international community want to portray Azziz as innocent as well, often describing him as ,debonair, smart or wise...when will people understand that just because a man says a few hail mary's he is'nt neccasarily an angel.

Iraq elections results.

2005-02-13T06:09:00.000-08:00

Hakim leader of the Iraq Unity list (169)

Grand unity Alliance-(169 sistani)-47.6%-4,750,245 votes= 129 seats
Democratic and Patriotic Kurdistani List (130)-25.4%-2,175,245 votes=70 seats.
The Iraqi List (Iyad allawi-285)-13.4%=38 seats
The Iraqis (al-iraqioun, gazi al-Yawar)-1.8%-4 seats.

Kurdish lists also gained 56% of the vote in Kirkuk province and 66% in mosul province.

2005-02-12T14:23:00.000-08:00

Ayathollah Seyyid Al-Sistani.

Ayatollah Sistani, a grand Marja of the shia faith and a' bone fide' descendant of the prophet muhammad is the new ruler of Iraq despite the 'democratic' elections. As allah's 'annointed' one on earth he merely has to whisper and the shia (60% of Iraq) tremble. His powers are so admired that the Faili Shia kurds, did not vote for the kurds but instead cast their ballot in favour of Sistani.

To find out more about the self appointed ubercleric, i decided to do some research. It turns out that despite his turban, the new Khomeini has a well designed website and public relations machine (WWW.SISTANI.ORG) which issues daily fatwas by email in 5 different languages. It turns out that this Persian born, Iraqi ruler is considers himself a scientific genius, although it does'nt say why on his site. However if you go into the Q and A section you are going to get a shock, it seems that Iraqs new leading statesman concerns himself with matters of a...well how should we say it...a private nature:

No: 6
Question:Is oral sex permissible between husband and wife?

Answer:It's allowed provided no liquid coming out swallowed.

No: 7
Question:Can husband and wife have sex with each other while looking at each other in a mirror?

Answer:It's permissible.

http://sistani.org/html/eng/main/index.php?page=4&lang=eng&part=1

Among other pearls of wisdom, the great Sistani (sounds like a magician, does'nt he?)declares that chess is forbiden ( does'nt say why), music is okay as long as its bad (MUST have no rhythm), a man can't shake a womens hand although it seems that he can marry her for half an hour and then do what he likes and well i dont know what this means, you decide:

No: 6
Question: Whether men and woman are allowed to work together in the same organization?

Answer: This is not permissible. He who steals government property will be indebted for the electricity bill. However, if the person is compelled to do, he may refer to the next “most knowledgeable” Mujtahed.

Now i have been thinking about this for a while but i still dont know why the west, the so called standard bearer of secularism and rationality is forcing us kurds to live under the rule of this man who spends more time thinking about the cleanliness of menstral blood than the creation of a newer and fairer social contract for his adopted homeland.

'Return of the empire'.

2005-02-07T14:57:00.000-08:00

Teyip Erdogan-Turkish prime minister.

Turn back the hands of time, reverse 100 years of the bloodiest history possible, as it seems that the Ottoman empire has been revived. Condolezza Rice has gone to turkey this week to discuss iraq with the turks, only a few weeks after Richard Armitage did the same. It seems as if the United States, the land of the free, which was founded on the basis of the anticolonialism, is attempting to reintroduce Turkey as the master of Iraq. However she has not visited the people whose future she is deciding, as for a fully fledged member of the Bush cabinet to visit a kurd is almost unimaginable. Ms Rice has, we are told reassured the Turks that Iraq will remain united although 99% of kurds have voted for independence. She has reassured the Turks that they will be involved in a solution for the Kirkuk 'problem' although 66% of the inhabitants of that city have voted for inclusion of this Kurdistani city back into Kurdistan. She followed this by visiting Israel and campaigning for another arab state to be added to the arab collection of failed states, it seems that gaining another totalitarian state is the right of every arab but for the Kurds to establish a democracy where they can for once feel safe is not acceptable.

Instead of reassuring the Turks maybe she should ask them why they deny Kurds basic human rights?. Why are they so afraid of a kurdish nation which will have a population of 5 million when Turkey is q 71 million strong giant?. Why instead of helping turkmen who make up around 2% of turkey they dont help Kurds who make up around 20% of the population of the state of Turkey?. Maybe RealPolitik is the only form of politics which counts, but she should consider this: when she is 'helping' solve the palestinian problem she may infact be contributing to another problem the:kurdish problem.

Christians at the centre of Kurdistan.

2005-02-07T06:25:00.000-08:00

'Assyria'-Liqour store-Shaqamy Saholaka (the Icefactory road)-Sulaimaniya

Recently there has been alot of news coming from various sources claiming that Kurds in Kurdistan are somehow attacking chrisitians (i am not really sure which term to use, as where i come from most christians consider themselves Kurdish christians although it seems that some people consider this offensive). Most of the other Blogs have been doing a great job showing why this is just not true, by outlining the fact that the christian community has a fair repersentation in the Kurdistan parliament, by describing how our government funds the building of churches, and by pointing out how the area where the voting irregularities occured, Sheikhan, is also a kurdish muslim area and that the Kurish government has no control over these areas. whether these kurdish attacks on christians are figments of turkish or iraqi arab imaginations is unclear, but the fact remians that the christians are not only a politicial force in kurdistan but are often at the centre of kurdish cities such as sulaimanyia. Where no neighbourhood is complete without a chrisitian alcohol store and friendly christian priest. The Kurdish jews were forced out in similar circumstances in the 1930's by the arabs, lets not let another vital component of our young nation be forced out by these arab terrorist, I for one and the majority of Kurds are proud that the last remianing aramaic (Christs language)churches are in Kurdistan.

Two Presidents, both Kurds

2005-02-04T09:56:00.000-08:00

'Mam' Jalal (Left) and Massoud Barzani (Right)

Well i dont know if this is normal but in Iraq it seems that it takes at least a week! to count 8 million pieces of paper. Its kind of hard to take when so much is depending on these elections. But anyway it looks good from a kurdish prespective we have probably got around 80 seats in the federal parliament (Baghdad) only second to his 'most illustrious magnificence Ayatollah sistani's list' (when will people learn politics and god dont mix). And Kurdish lists have won in Sulaimani, Hawler, Duhok and most importantly in Khanaqeen, mosul and Kirkuk!!!!.

for internal Kurdish politics massoud Barzani of the Kurdistan Democrtatic party is being put forward as the president of Kurdistan while Mam 'uncle' Jalal general secretary of the patriotic union of Kurdistan is our candidate for iraqi president. which is kind of strange, the leader of the Kurdish patriots being president of Iraq, but thats democracy!!!. Anyway he better get the job as the only time when i have felt hostile towards the coalition is when Bremer, who has recently been accused of stealing $9bil, said that mam jalal could'nt be president last time as a kurd cant lead arab iraq. I wish someone would have asked if he would ever dare tell his boss colin powell that he would'nt be american president as he is Black.

Anyway everything in Kurdistan and in Iraq in general seems to be getting better, well it could'nt get any worse.

the Insurgents new strategy:

2005-02-03T11:54:00.000-08:00

Amar Ahmed Mohammad

Arab insurgents in Baghdad, strapped bombs to this mans body and set him in the direction of Baghdad voting center. Officials say that this is the third case were an down syndrome sufferer has been used as delivery system for a bomb. Amar's parents have said that he had the mental age of 4 year old, it seems that the insurgents have truely reached the bottom of the moral barrel.

Abdullah Gul-Istanbul is greek..

2005-02-01T15:07:00.000-08:00

According to turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül “The identity of a city is not solely determined by the ethnicity of the majority of people living there. Other people might be resident there, but its identity belongs to others who lived there at an earlier point in time" (from Turkish daily news-Yusuf kanli interviewer 31/1/05) -I guess he is going to be giving Istanbul and western anatolia and Pontus back to the greeks then, as they were there 1,5000 years before the turks, Thrace back to the Bulgarians (predate turks by 1000), Armenia to the republic of Armenia and Kurdistan back to us.

A "Short" History of Iraq.

2005-02-01T07:04:00.000-08:00

Map of agreement between the republic of France and her Britanic Majesties Government.

Mr Sykes-'A distingushed british diplomat'

Messrs. Sykes and Picot-'The banality of Evil'

Okay this isn't about Babylon or Assyria, Hammurabi or Sargon but about the creation of the state of Iraq. Although the media has often commented about the artificiality of Iraq, I think that this point needs explanation to show just how artificial the Iraqi state realy is, and although history can be a bit boring bare with me as this history isn't about piece of pottery found in mud but about the basis of nearly all of the problems of the Middle-East today:

The story begins in may 1915, the first World War had been raging for a year and tens of thousands of young men from each participating country had already been slaughtered fighting over a few yards of Belgian soil. The Turkish-Ottoman empire had in all its wisdom sided with the Germans and the Hapsburgs in the hope that war booty would relieve its image as the 'sick man of europe', the Kurds as usual didn't really fit in, but still fought hard as they thought that a Christian european victory would lead to widespread rape and pillage.

However the Allied powers already new that victory was certain and began deliberations. In a drawing room somewhere in London the talks began.
The British were repersented by Sir Mark Sykes and the French by George Picot. While puffing on cigars and getting drunk on fine French cogniac these two men brouhght out a map of the Middle-East and began drawing, Picot used a blue pen and indciated the areas france wanted and Sir Mark did the same with a red pen. The mountains and valleys the deserts and oasises the men carved between them didn't really mean much as neither had ever been to the middle east. However, for the humans who had there lands partitioned it seems that these lines on a map were'nt really appropriate, as these talks have led to the two main conflicts in the middle-east the division of my homeland, Kurdistan, and the arab-isreali conflict.

Following the war (surprise, surprise, the ottomans and the germans lost) these secret plans were implemanted as official policy instead of president wilsons 14 points fro self determination in the middle east. An arab cheftain was found in the R'ub al Khaili (the empty qaurter, now in Saudi Arabia)and made King of Syria, when the syrian kicked him out he was made King of Iraq. The vilayet of Mosul (AKA Kurdistan) was then joined to this 'arab' kingdom and when the Kurds rebelled poison gas was dropped on them (interesting fact number 1: Kurdistan is the not only the site of the biggest chemical attack on civilians (halabja-1988) but is the site of the First ever chemical attack on civilians (sulaimaniya province 1922))Winston Churchil then colonial secretary said that this crime against humanity was the only way that these 'monstrous tribes' could be subdued while lawrence of arabia said that the Kurds were 'pests' and that chemical weapons were the same as any other agent used to control 'rats' (i always used to like that stupid film before i read about this).
Well you probably know the rest of the story....king is killed....Saddam comes to power...saddam is removed.....Kurds are again forced into living in Iraq...because as the world wishes, we kurds are destined to remain confined in these lines on a map.

Hurray!!!!

2005-01-30T13:29:00.000-08:00

Kurdish Voters-Hawler (arbil)

Its been projected that the kurdish alliance list (130) may have got around 75-85 seats with the Al-arabia station estimating that 95 of the seats in the iraqi assembly have gone to the Kurds. It seems that our relentles campaigning may have the result it deserves, because if these figures are even remotely true we will be the second party in Iraq.

Some estimations for the Kirkuk provincial elections also show that the kurdistani list (Kirkuk brotherhood list) may be the big winners their.
So believing in democracy does work and thankfully the people urging the Kurds to boycot the elections failed.

Lets hope these elections act as a catylst to brighter freer future for the whole people of the middle east, Kurds, arabs, Turks, persians and israelis. Although of course we have to wait for the official results.

As president Bush says 'freedom is the hope of mankind'.

Kurds-NO COMPROMISE-over KIRKUK

2005-01-28T08:53:00.000-08:00

Kurdish refugees-returning home

Finally the kurdish leaderships stance on Kirkuk has caught up with the view held by the Kurdish public. Recently both mam Jalal and massoud barzani have declared the fact that kirkuk is and has always been a kurdish and Kurdistani city. Nechirvan Barzani has also declared that the issue of kirkuk is one over which the kurds are unwilling to make compromises.

This is very important as the turkish government has recently gone out of its way to create tension over the city. With Basbug (what a name!) a turkish general indicating that turkey may invade kurdistan over this issue. However it seems that our leaders have realised that this is just another false claim made by a government which is realising that its 80 year old 'hate' campign against the kurds is failing.
We kurds cannot afford to give into facsist turkeys threat anylonger. The turks have already thieved half of our ancient lands we cannot give them another inch.

If istanbul wants to abondone the raison d'etre of the creation of secularist turkey, membership of Europe and the EU, if turkey wants to abondone its highest ever economic growth rates (8.9%), if the Kemalist government wishes to turn its back on $5 billion dollars of trade, let it come, let this anachronistic throw back to brown shirts and nietzschean fascism break itself on our mountains.

The Turkmen Front

2005-01-26T11:04:00.000-08:00

Iraqi Turkmen front headquarters-Sulaimaniya, Kurdistan

The Turkmen have roots in Iraq dating back to the later stages of the Ottoman empire, in which they were employed by the ottoman government as settlers of areas seen as valuable. Of course some turkmen claim that there presence predates this by several hundred years, however in the new Iraq such matters are unimportant unless we are to reinstate the genocidal programmes of saddam's Baath party. However what should be important to the turkmens is that since this ottomen period, successive governments in turkey have ignored there plight, they should remember that no turkish official commented yet alone condemned the baathists arabisation policy which affected the Kurdistani turkmen alongside the kurds themselves.

They should remember these facts before they agree to becoming a pawn in istanbuls campiagn of hate against the Kurds, they should remeber that it was kurdish officials who opened the first turkmen speaking schools in Iraq that it was kurdish officials who brought water and medicine to their villages, when the west and the turks turned a blind eye to their needs. Not that they should be grateful ofcourse, as in any progressive society (unlike turkey itself) these are basic human rights, but they should consider who are there friends and who see them as weapons to be used and abused agianst kurds alongside F16's and Apache Helicopters.

The image above shows the rights the turkmens have in Kurdistan, why exchange this for vague feelings of Turanism.

A tale of two nations.

2005-01-24T09:48:00.000-08:00

Kurdistan-an emerging state-Bahasht

Iraq-A state of emergency-Jahanam

One is an emerging democratic state with a role to play in the furutre, one is a disintigrating remnant of a colonial past, guess which one is which.

Who rules Iraq?

2005-01-22T18:07:00.000-08:00

Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi-Berg murder screenshot.

High ranking Iraqi police officials have declared that around 150-250 suicide bombers are currently preparing to target voting stations and other facilities in the upcoming elections in Iraq. This comes amidst reports that there are an estimated 250,000 terrorists/insurgents currently in Iraq and reports from Alawi declaring that he cannot protect polling stations in the elections.

What sort of government is this, he asks people to vote then says that they may be blown to smitherns if they do and ofcourse if Al-Qaida does'nt get them then it probably will behead them shortly afterwards. But what does the world expect when an not so former baathist is appointed to lead a country trying to get over baathism. Alawi has also seen fit to reappoint most of the former baathist army and intelligence officials to there jobs. This means that the iraqi security forces which were infiltrated with islamists/baathists early on now also have baathists commanders, its like a nightmerish reunion party, where instead of a cake the guest of honour cuts a throat. All we need now is for Saddam to be put back in place as the 'god given, supreme, invicible, beloved' leader and you know what, Humpty will be well and truely be back together again.

A new Kurdish perspective on Kirkuk?

2005-01-22T07:40:00.000-08:00

The city of Kirkuk

Since the 1963 coup de etat, which brought the baathists to power. several of the kurdish districts of the city of kirkuk were destoryed, hundreds of surrounding villages were systematicaaly dismanteled and thousands of arabs brougth to kurdistan.

since then the issue of reversing this genocide has been at the forefront of kurdish politics, with this issue acting as a obstacle to negotiations between the kurdish movement and the Iraqi central government.

This has manifested itself in the agreement made between the kurdish leaders and the iraqi interim governing council, knwon as the 58th clause of the transition administrative law (TAL 58).

This holds that the Kurds and Turkmen who were forced to leave will be returned by choice or by force, that the Arabs settlers will be forced to leave by choice or by force and that the areas removed from taimim (kirkuk) province will be reattached. These areas which are to be reattached include the area of Garmian in general and Chamchamal in particular. Chamchamal is an extremely fertile area and has the potential to be the bread basket of Kurdistan one day.

However all these change are to be made with no guarantee that the newly shaped province of Kirkuk will be joined to the Kurdistan region area (KRG), as reattachment of the province of Kirkuk will rely on a referendum.

Now we must ask ourselves, is this in the interest of the Kurds. How and why would any Arab government carry out demographic engineering which goes against its own interests? How will we force people who have lived in a village for 50 years to abandon it, is it reasonable for us to lose Garmian from the KRG without any guarantees that it will be returned as part of the new province of kirkuk and should we risk a referendum in which the Kurds may lose.

The answer to these questions is that the Kurdish leadership should change its stance on kirkuk. We should drop our 50 year demand that all of the 1958 province of Kirkuk should be reincorporated into the KRG as this may again be refused and even if it where to occur it would lead to destabilisation of the KRG as we would now have a substantial Arab minority. Instead we should demand a partition of this province along ethnic lines. With a new province incorporating the city of kirkuk, Baqrata, Dubz, Pirdey, Tuz and zeydar joining the KRG and the areas of Hawija, Abbasiya and Zab joining either salahadden or ninevah province. This will allow a strict demarcation between Arab and Kurdish 'Iraq' and would secure that this kurdistani area is not exposed to the threat of future Arab encroachment.

Vote 130, Vote Kurdistan

2005-01-21T13:09:00.000-08:00

Danga Bida bo Kurdistan

Every 27,000 votes earns a seat at the Iraqi National Assembly, Every seat is one vote nearer to an indpendent Kurdistan.

Hamu 27,000 dangeik yak kursi pe dadret la anjumani nishtimani Iraqia, Hamu kursiak yak Dang niziktirman axatawa la Kurdistaniki Sarbaxu.

Halabja, Darfur and President Bush.

2005-01-21T09:12:00.000-08:00

Halabja-March 1988- Iraqi arab airforce drops assorted chemical weapons against the civilians of Halabja.

Sudan 2004- Janjaweed inconjuntion with the Sudanese arab Government.

In the spring of 1988 15 Sukhoi-27's made in Russia and belonging to the Iraqi Airforce took to the skies of Kurdistan and flew to the sleepy kurdish town of Halabja. Once at there destination these planes made their initial attack on Halabja, they droped incindiary devices as well as bombs known 'smash bangs' which cause shattering of windows within a 300m radius of where they fall. Following this the Iraqi squadron made another pass at the provincial town, this time with a far deadlier payload. In the time that followed at least 5,000 innocent civillians suffocated. Mothers screening their children, not knowing that there flesh could'nt protect their sons and daughters from sarin. Fathers whose hands were ripped to shreds by a frantic attempt to replace the glass in there windows, thinking that this would stop the poison air drowning their newborns, children who jumped in rivers to get away from the deadly wind not knowing that the water could take there lives as well as the sarin gas....The brave Iraqi airmen who took part in this 'operation' were awarded the highest honours the Iraqi state could confirm upon them....yet al-jazeera still finds it acceptable to claim that Sarin and mustard gas were not droped on that fateful day, no the iraqi airforce actually droped Flour powder, however these claims by al-Jazeera are acceptabel as all media outlets aim to their audiences and Al-jazeera's audience are arabs. A group who still by and large believe that the Mossad carried out the attacks on the twin towers, that Zarqawi is a CIA agent, that the protocols of the elders of zion are authentic and that the tooth fairy exists (okay the last one is made up, but i hope you can understand the conspiracy mania that envelopes the arab world).
These horrendous crimes agianst humanity are now being repeated in Darfur, another nation unfortunate enough to be in contact with the 'great' arab nation. History at least in the middle east seems to be indeed cyclical and definetly cynical.
President Bush says: 'Freedom is the hope of mankind', lets hope that this means that the Kurds hopes and asspirations for freedom will for once be respected.

Please visit:

Never forget Halabja

Humpty-Iraq.

2005-01-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

" Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, All the King's horses and all the King's men, Could'nt put Humpty back together again".

Replace Humpty with Iraq, Fall with Shock and Awe, The King with president Bush and The King's men with the marines. Now you probably have a pretty fair estimation of what has happened to the Iraqi state. There are officially (are CIA figures official?) 250,000 gun and knife totting terrorists/insurgents/militants now rampaging in the western deserts of Iraq, there are around 5 suicide bombings a day in Iraq, there are a few beheadings and many kidnappings. the violence is also beggining to spread into the our 'safer' region, kurdistan, with 2 recorded explosions in hawler and duhok this week.

The elections also show no promise as although we kurds must all vote, the religious Shia are set to dominate the new Iraq, we must never forget that our brothers and sisters in Turkey have been living in an democracy, yet the west never seems to ask the turks why an rebellion which can field 30,000 men and is supported in all regions of northern kurdistan never attracts more than a handful of votes. So is this our destiny? to be a constant minority in a majority rule state, to be forced into a islamist nation, to have our culture eroded by democracy like tha Basques of Spain. Well although it seems likely, this does'nt have to be the future of the kurdish people, Not if the americans make the only correct decision since the invasion of Iraq, Not if the americans decide that the only way forward for Iraq is the division of this artificial entity into its natural constituants portions. A shia run state in the south, a suni arab nation similar to Jordan in the centre and a kurdish state in the north. This is no longer a fantasy, It is becoming clearer by the day that the wrongs created by the treaty of sevres must be righted if Iraq and the rest of the middle east is to progress. these multi ethnic nations are each destabilised and each in turn prevented from progression due to the presence of minorties within their borders. The nations of Europe made head way following the first world war byy partitioning the former empires of europe along popular demands. However these principles were not applied to the defeated asiatic power, the ottoman empire, whether this was due to inherent rascism in that asians need stong rule or due to stupidity remains to be seen. Yet the problem still remains, will the americans insist that the prison that is, the Iraqi state remains? or take the correct and courageous option of allowing the inevitable partition to happen under assistance.

'United we stand, Divided we fall'

2005-01-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

With the Iraqi National, Kurdish regional and provinicial elections near, the number of kurds i hear who say that the will not vote because it wont change anything worries me. The truth is that these elections will change everything whether the kurds like it or not. These elections are going ahead no matter what the Kurds say and no matter what the 250,000 insurgents say in central iraq. This means that the Kurds have no option but to try and harness the elections for their own good. The only way that we can avoid another 80 years of arab domination is to vote in large numbers and to vote for the same parties. As the old proverb goes 'United we stand, divided we fall' and for us kurds this is the most impotant proverb to learn. We must face it whether iraq is a totalitarian state to match Big brothers Eurasia or a pluralistic democracy we kurds are in the minority, and being in a minority in a democracy can be nearly as bad as being a powerless group in a dictatorship. The only way that we can survive in the new iraqi dictatorship of the shia masses is to unite and compartmentalise our nation from the iraqi arab majority. The only way that we can prevent the establishment of sharia law is to again seperate ourselves and our homeland from Iraq. This means that we do not have the opportunity or the luxury of squandering our vote on meaningless principles. which in the long term will harm our people and destroy the future of our children. Of course it is understandable to want to make a stand against corruption and beurecracy, but by voting on these issues we will ensure that the dreams of kurds for hundreds of years are obscured. As an old man told me the other day these elections are for Kurdistan and the next elections can be for the kurdish individual. Unlike the arabs we cannot display our displeasure with the current government we must stand united. We also do not have the option of voting for different parties in the national and regional elections, as if we do the delegation we kurds send to Baghdad will lack the vital quality in a democracy, that of repersentation, we must ensure that our parliamentarians in Baghdad are backed by a strong similar government in Hawler. This may mean that we see people in governance who we would rather were not there but agiain we kurds have a responsibilty to strentghen our nations hand in iraq and we must make sacrifices for this, we msut ensure that the arabs and the internationall community understand that our delegation to Baghdad is backed by the will of the kurds in Kurdistan. Therfore the only option we kurds have is to vote for our current leaders to help them establish our seperatness from Arabs in the new iraqi constitution. We must vote for 130 in the nationals and 162 in the regionale lections. Remember when you cast your ballot that unlike others we kurds are not only voting for ourselves but for the children of Halabja and a thousand other towns as well.

2005-01-07T14:54:00.000-08:00

In most western societies it takes less than 2 years and in islamic law it only takes 3 words. Ofcourse i am talking about divorce a process which is actually fast out pacing marriage in many european countries. We kurds have been in several forced marriages for the past 80 years. With a violent partner in the case of Iraq (anfal-182,000 dead) with a abusive and controlling partner, Turkey (kurdish language prohibited, 30,000 of our brave peshmarga dead) and with a partnr with which we have irreconciable differences, islamic iran (many dead, our religion persecuted and our heritage denied), and dont get me started on the 'arab' republic of Syria. Now all of these are prima facie (sorry about the spelling) cases for divorce in most of the courts o the world, however the international community seems to think that these arent reason enough for us and each of our respective opresors to go our seperate ways, they insist that we stick with them and try to 'ride out the rough patch'. However we kurds must keep on insisting that we do go our own way and establish kurdistan, our camelot, our homeland and oneday we may get lucky just look at the east timorese.

Ps whenever i talk to Americans, they seem to get really upset about us kurds wanting to split from the Iraqi 'union'. They seem to think of it in their own terms i.e we kurds are acting like the Confederates and trying to split the glorious united states of Iraq, but we kurds dont want to split from Iraq as we really believ in slave trading! we want to go because we dont want to be slaves anymore.

US forces attack HAWLER (Irbil)

2005-01-05T07:58:00.000-08:00

Yeasterday at midnight local time US ground forces supported by Helicopters and fighter jets belonging to the USAF carried out a ground attack in the sayeda district of Hawler city capital city of the kurdistan region of iraq. This was truely unbelievable. I mean the people who we feel liberated us, who we showered with flowers. Came in the middle of the night like a baathist raiding party and attacked innocent kurds who had probably mentioned these same US soldiers in there nightly prayers just a while before the attack. This would have been understandable if there had been a terrorist cell in Hawler, with which our own peshmarga could not deal with. But this attack was on a student dormitory for hawler university. Even if it had been a terrorist hide out which it was'nt our own forces would have been able to sort it out as they have on numerous occasions with more success than any of the allied operations in Iraq. I fear that this signals a change in US policy, in which the more violent contingents of Iraqi society are going to be appeased at the cost of hurting people who are desperate to support what the US is doing in IRAQ. It could be a coincidence but why is it that these attacks are happening straight after armitage (Powells deputy) visited turkey. Why is it that the americans have suddenly become so cold to kurdish attempts to undo saddams barbaric ethnic cleansing operations.

We kurds must learn, you can only count on yourself, Israel wont help us nor will the western powers, we ourselves must free ourselves from the shackles imposed on our people at the treaty of versaile. We must be the ones who impliment the Wilsonian principle of self determination. We must never forget the truth handed down from our forefathers, 'The Kurds only friends are the mountains'. If the americans can do this to us when they need us, imagine what the arabs will do when we are not needed in 5 years time. My thoughts are with the people of Hawler tonight, Who thought that Saddams time would come again so soon.

Who put the Fun in Fundamentalism?

2004-12-29T18:05:00.000-08:00

Fundamentalists, Islamists. AL Qaida, Insurgents...terrorists, no matter what you call these people. They are scum. Not a day goes by now in 'iraq' without one of these ever so loveable creeps, halal buthchering some innocent who just happened to cross his way. Seriuosly its turning into a sort of pandemic here, you know the routine: people are kidknaped on the way to falluja (why would any one ever go to falluja?), a video is made where some arab guy in a mask says that country X has a week to mass convert to islam, then the inevitable, Al Jazeera or another fine example of journalism gone wrong (e.g al manar) shows a home made video of a man/women losing their life. Recently with the tsunami in asia and the fact that zarqawi has'nt been able to lay his hands on a westerner have led to dramatic decrease in the number of these fun shows being shown in the western media, But please do not forget us kurds. Just recently 3 kurds visiting basrah ( a city america insists is part of the same country as kurdistan) were caught and you guessed it, killed. It gets even better in Hawija (if your kurdish dont ever go to city with a name ending in -ja, falluja, Hawija-i'm begining to see a pattern here) where kurds are now randomly shot for daring to go to the local Bazzar. And lets not forget that this new Bin Laden sport started in Kurdisan, most people have heard of Kheali hama, this is a town in kurdistan where some afghans/arabs and other usual suspects caught 40 young peshmarga and slit their throats. I dont realy know where i am going with this post. But i am just so angry, angry at the killers and angry at the rest of the world forcing us to remain in the prison which is iraq. Seriuosly look at whats developing in iraq we have new IRAN in the south (soon to be ruled by a khomeini look alike) and a new afghanistan in the middle (Soon to be ruled by a mullah omar look alike) while we kurds in the north are just trying to live life as best we can. Sometimes i just think to myself, what did the kurds ever do to end up in the middle east. With persians who poison us in the east, arabs who gas us to the south and turks who do everything else to us in the north. Even the turkmens are trying to threaten us now with their 'big brothers' from turkey, this after the kurdistan regional government started treating them even better than it treats us kurds. I guess we kurds as a people did something very bad in a previous life. I just hope that powell leaving office will mean an end to arabism at the state department, although i doubt it since richard armitage is currently in Turkey discussing how to force the poor peshmarga up in Qandil into a turkish prison or worse.

Anyway i dont like to end a post in a sad way, so Happy New year. Sali Newtan Piroz bey....

2004-12-28T10:58:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry i havent posted for a while (i'm not reay sure who i am apologising to since i havent got (zero) that many readers, and most comments are usualy anonymous anyway.) Any how i forgot the password to this place so i haven't been able to post (the wonders of modern technology), but i am BACK now.
Well the situation for us kurds has'nt realy improved has it. since i last posted not that much has actually changed, really?.
Lets see our leaders are still pretending that the people of southern kurdistan do realy want to be part of Iraq although it seems like the rest of the iraqi poulation want us kurds to be physically sent to Israel, because guess what, it turns out that we kurds are israeli agents. For people who do not know much the middle east, arabs regularly accuse someone they want to blow up of working for the mossad. Theres little point denying this since some arabs probably think that hitler was a israeli agent since the holocaust did'nt completly work. ( sorry i know you should'nt make jokes about the holocaust, but since i think that most jews have a great sense of humour, i'm hoping they wont mind). Anyway i'm not sure if our leaders new theory of kurdish-arab brotherhood is ideological or due to the $3 billion which've mysteriuosly gone missing in S. kurdistan.
Although i am cheered up a little by what our 'brothers' are doing to themseleves. It seems like the shia and sunni arabs are going to tear each other up. I just hope we dont get caught up in it as kurds. However having experience of kurdish luck, i have a horrible feling that no matter what the arabs do to each other we kurds are going to feel the brunt of it.
anyway in kurdistan and in iraq wev'e got a strange election to look forward to. For people who dont know, the iraqi leaders have decided to create lists, this means that all parties for any specific group are going to join up, so basically the election is just a census, with kurds voting for the kurdish list, shia voting for the shia list and the sunnis not voting for anyone as the sunni clerics think that voting is either an act of treachey, sinnful or both ( most of them think both). Its kind of sad because it means that we kurds HAVE to vote (or we reduce our power in baghdad) but we cant vote for any specific party.

P.s: what is it with mam Jalal in these recent meetings. Why does he keep waving his ams like that, you would think that he was Stalin or some one. Any way all kurds please vote!!!!! even if the person your voting for is a bit odd at least he's/she's a kurd.

Kurdo: sulaimany is our paris!!!!!

2004-08-29T04:25:00.000-07:00

Kurdo said on his site that sulaimany is the paris of kurdistan. Anyone who is kurdish or even knows a kurd probably knows how proud we kurds are of our hometown. This goes beyond 'supporting your local sports team' as westerners would know it, as we kurds are almost lyrical of the beuties of our own cities i.e if a new monument is made all you can hear for several days is how 'only our beloved sulaimany/hawler/duhok etc etc... could come up with such a beutiful monument.
This kurdish metrophilia is displayed in different ways in each of the cities of southern kurdistan (sorry, i don't know much about the rest of kurdistan) e.g The people of Duhok (badinan) are proud that they are the most tribal 'kurdish' kurds, the people of hawler are proud of the antiquity of there hometown-hawler-a-qon (old hawler) and the people of sulaimany are proud of the cultural achievments of there town (all the great kurdish poets come from here (sulaimany) you know).
All though this can come across as more of a vice than a virtue i.e hawleris are snobish about pedigrees, the sulaimanyis are cocky as to the intelect of others (there are many, many jokes in the vain of english-irish jokes about hawleris in sulaimany) and the duhokis think that all other kurds are effeminate.
however we all love each other for all our faults.

rice-ughhhh!!!!!!1

2004-08-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Condelezza rice's comments realy got to me, the other day. What the hell is she speaking about. With friends like the bush admiinisteration who the hell needs mortal enemies.
I know in geopolitics we kurds are small fry, we have no country and no powerful friends (before you say it, israels turkeys ally, not ours). But to be stabed in the back so visibly and with no mercy!!!!!, well its enough to say it hurts.
She thinks that our leaders should 'convince' us to stay as part of iraq. Convince us, wrong choice of words my friend, in the mid east, our last "beloved supreme leader" soddom (not a mis type) hussein did just that, yea he convinced us alright, with napalm, sarin and mustard gas. I'm sorry us kurds are knew to the democracy game but i always thought that the government obeys the peoples will not the other way round. Jeeze, washington, Jeferson and old abe will be tirning in there graves.

P.s she compares our demands for a seperate state to the french speaking people of quebecs demands, but last i heard the canadian federal government had'nt resorted to sarin to quell quebecian (what the hells the appropriate term here.....) desires for seperation.

We want kurdistan we want kurdistan..........

Turkey-insanity

2004-08-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

No this is'nt a blog about the state of the mental health of the bird life of kurdistan. This is a return to my previuos theme, the insanity of the some of the human inhabitants of the middle east.
Here goes i promise this is true. The turkish government has banned the use of the colours green,red and yellow in Eastern anatolia (KURDISTAN) as they are representative of the kurds and therefore against a state in which 20% of people are actualy kurds.
This ban also effects traffic lights. Yes, Turkish courts are'nt busy enough with the systamatic torture which goes on in there prison (sorry, ....country) but are now concerning themselves with replacing every green bulb in a turkish traffic light to blue bulb.....and this country thinks that it's gonna get into the EU. Although the EU has own fair supply of crack pot nations. So, maybe, it'l add chicken (sorry,.....Turkey) to its list.

Kurd or Iraqi

2004-08-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

Iraq's olympic football team made it to the semi finals of the olympic football tournament yeasterday. It was strange up here in kurdistan, because it is nice to have a national team to support. You know, expend all the built up nationalism and Xenophobia safely and without causing harm. But for us kurds its hard as if you sport iraq people feel like your in some way condoning the existance of the artifical failed state that is iraq.
Any how it did'nt come to much, iraq, shock shock horror, lost. 3-1 to the south american footballing midgets that are paraguay. As soon as it became clear that iraq would'nt be in the finals, there suport base in kurdistan became scarce. You know "dont worry son, were kurds not iraqis".
I think i've found a new and as yet (well maybe not) unheard effect of being a landless people (read kurd) national schizophrenia: never knowning what you are, or even how you should classify yourself.