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The myth of the 'no fly zone'



The US/West claim the 'no-fly' zones were established to protect Kurds in the north and Shiites in the south from the Iraqi military. This is a lie, and any serious reference to them is a farce.  The 'no fly zones' were designed as a pretext for the establishment and continuation of of a US protectorate, contstantly violating Iraqi airspace and delivering terror bombings (often deliberatly killing many Kurdish and Iraqi civillians), another turn of the screw, on top of the already devestating sanctions.. The US arguement that bombings are a response to "their aircraft being fierd upon by Iraqi anti-aircraft guns" is ridiculous. US planes enter Iraqi airspace with the intention of bombing (permant miltary and communication facilities, as well as civilians in order to terrorise the population). Iraqi anti-aircraft fire is defensive, every nation has the right to self-defense. The US is, typically, indignant that anyone would dare to defend themselves. Below are some brief examples of the US efforts to help the Kurdish people. Help, that is, in their destruction and displacement.

The Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights have found Turkey responsible for carrying out the following against the Kurds "burning villages, inhuman and degrading treatment, and appalling failures to investigate allegations of ill-treatment at the hands of thesercurity force" The history of Tukeys war against the Kurds is too extensive document here suffice to say in 1993 -94 alone 3200 Kurds were killled and 3500 villages destroyed. Between 1990 - 94 one million kurds fled from the countryside to Diyarbakir.

Are the US protecting the Kurds from Turkey? No, in fact the opposite. Turkey enjoys massive US diplomatic and military support. Much of their weaponry used directly against the Kurds is US made. Helicopter gunships, fighter aircraft and such like. While US planes leave  bases in Turkey to protect the 'no-fly' zones, US made aircraft fly out of Turkey to bomb Kurdish villages. Turkey  recently kidnapped (with probable US/Israeli help) Abdullah Ocalan the leader of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) who has led an armed defense against Turkey since the mid eighties. As recently as last year, US President Bill Clinton was in Greece (dodging 5000 protesters) urging the Europe to make Turkey a member of the EU. They are already a member of NATO.

At the end of the 'Gulf War' when tens of thousands of iraqi people in the north and south rose up
against the regime and the Kurdish people took control of a large section of northen Iraq, Hussein
was given the 'green light' by the US to ruthlessly crush the rebellions. So much for the "need to
protect the Kurds".

Finally, the suffering, Kurds experienced under the Iraqi regime for many years, were all made while Iraq continued to receive military, diplomatic and finacial support. As always 'human rights' only become of interest when they can be used as a pretext or more literally a 'moral cover' for an immoral action driven by self interest.

M
 


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