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Kurdish Supplement, 14-20/10/01 * While the World Is Not Watching, Iraq Escalates Ethnic Cleansing [New/old measures in the Kurdish areas still under Iraqi government control] * Iraq Occupies 30 Villages in the Border Region with Kurdistan [Claims that the Iraqis have actually moved into the Kurdish autonomous zone. If true its a much better pretext for an attack on Iraq than the tenuous link to the anthrax scare. The lack of publicity only goes to prove that no-one really cares about the Kurds - at least not when its a matter of keeping the Turks onside in a coalition against terrorismı] * Kurdish parties rely on U.S. [Powell writes to Talabani and Barzani saying US will respond if Saddam attacks them at a time and place of our choosingı: ie certainly not of the Kurdsı choosing. The last time they responded to Iraqi activity in the Kurd autonomous zone, readers will remember, it was by dropping bombs in Southern Iraq!] * Turkey Concerned on US, Iraq and KDP [An interesting moment for ill-feeling to develop between Iraqi Kurds and Turkey] * Disagreement escalates between Turkish military and KDP [More detail on the above. The KDP is refusing to co-operate with Turkish raids into the Kurdish autonomous zone.] * Turkey Rushes Troops To Iraqi Border [Includes a reference to two Turkish soldiers killed in a rocket attack attributed to Kurdish insurgentsı. Are they the same two who in the articles immediately above were - accidentally - killed in a minefield? The indications are that the Turks are preparing for an invasion of the Kurdish autonomous zone to prevent the Kurds taking over in the event of a US attack on Iraq]. http://members.home.net/kurdistanobserver/15-10-01-kn-irq-escalates-ethnic cleansing.html * WHILE THE WORLD IS NOT WATCHING, IRAQ ESCALATES ETHNIC CLEANSING Kurdistan Observer, 15th October [from Kurdistan Newsline, Kirkuk Oct.14] With the international community concentrating on the campaign against terrorism, the Iraqi regime is taking advantage of the situation by aggressively stepping up its racist campaign to forcibly changing the demographic composition of the areas of Kurdistan still under its control. The regime is doing this even after receiving a blunt warning from the United States of America not to exploit the current situation by committing aggression against neighboring states or the Kurdistan region. ( See New York Times Oct.10) It seems the Iraqi regime is not only hurling abuse at United States by calling Ambassador John Negroponte's warning as ³stupid² and praising Usama bin Ladenıs Al Qaeda, but it is determined to undermine the security of the Kurdistan region while the world is busy with combating terrorism in Afghanistan. Changing Identity The new Iraqi measures of Arabization and ethnic cleansing consist of: banning photographing the residential and market areas inside the city of Kirkuk; the regime has decreed that all historic Kurdish, Turkuman and Assyrian names of places must changed to Arabic names e.g. Tapai Malla Abdullah has been changed to Maysloon, the Azadi into Al Nakhwa, Shorja into Al Qudis, Shaterloo into Martyr Adnan Khairullh, Aaglarali into Al Umara and Khanaqa into Al Faris. A new ³Law² decreed by the Baathist Revolutionary Council will allow the change of nationality registration into Arab throughout Iraq. ( Law No. 199 September 6, 2001). This flagrantly racist law is in breach of all human rights conventions Iraq has entered into. It is the type of draconian racist law South Africaıs former apartheid regime would have been proud of. Arab Settlements in Kirkuk The Iraqis are building 500 houses in Kurdistan areas (250 houses in the village of Gurgayee and 250 units in the village of Sheikhan, Altun Kopri), to be given free to the Arab settlers. The plan is to bring two thousand Arab families from Mosul to be settled in Kirkuk as part of the continuing Arabization plan. The Iraqi intelligence arrested Suhaila Hassan Taha and Rabiıa Hama Hassam, together with members of their families last week, as a first step for deportation from their homes. They have confiscated two residential dwellings from two families and turned them into offices of the Baath Party. The Iraqi officials have begun distributing parcels of land on the outskirts of Kirkuk to Arab settlers. They are constructing a new housing complex in Tozkhurmatu to accommodate 200 new Arab settler families. They have also distributed 250 parcels of land to Arab families in the Zab district of Haweeja. The Iraqis have armed the new settlers in the Salayee area in order to turn them to an auxiliary mercenary force for the Iraqi Army. The Arabs were given a 15-day military training at the Siqizlee military camp. Kurdish Banned in Makhmoor In a meeting in the city of Makhmoor last week, the Iraqi General Director of Education of Nineveh (Mosul) informed the educational groups that henceforth all teaching in Kurdish language shall be banned in the cityıs schools. The Iraqis have already transferred 75 Kurdish teaches to other areas and replaced them with Arabs. This step to ban Kurdish is not only contrary to the basic cultural rights of the Kurdish people but is a breach of international obligations of the Iraqi state under which it was established as one independent state by the British Government as the Mandatory power of the League Nations in 1932. http://members.home.net/kurdistanobserver/15-10-01-ko-irq-takes-30villages kurdistan.html * IRAQ OCCUPIES 30 VILLAGES IN THE BORDER REGION WITH KURDISTAN The Kurdistan Observer, 15th Oct ober Iraqi forces have moved into several areas inside the areas under the control of Kurds in Southern (Iraqi) Kurdistan, a Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) source told the Arabic newspaper Sharq Al Awsat last Friday. The source said that Saddam's army occupied the village of Sadawa located 17 Km south west of Arbil, the capital of KDP-administered Southern Kurdistan, last week and relocated 30 families of Arab origin into the village. The source added that the Iraqi government has forced the population of as many as 30 villages to leave their homes as they faced repeated bombardment by the Iraqi army. Subsequently, Arab tribes were moved in by the Iraqi forces as part of the ethnic cleansing policy of Iraq. The KDP has appealed to the world community to interfere and stop the aggression of Iraqi forces against Kurds inside the Safe Haven set up by the Allies. http://www.washtimes.com/world/20011017-6668442.htm * KURDISH PARTIES RELY ON U.S. By Eli J. Lake Washington Times (UPI), 17th October As the Bush administration debates when and if Iraq should be targeted in the new war against terrorism, both major Kurdish parties in northern Iraq say they have a security guarantee from the United States should Saddam Hussein attack. Top Stories Events in October have placed new importance on earlier written U.S. guarantees for the Middle East, especially one made over the summer. "There were concerns about changing the rules of engagement and defense of the no-fly zone, and this letter allayed these concerns. We were concerned these things would change because everything was under consideration," Hoshyar Zebari, the Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) top diplomat, said in an interview. In a July 30 letter, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell wrote: "As we have said before, should Saddam's forces move against the Kurds, it is our policy that the United States would respond in a strong and sure manner at a time and place of our choosing." The letter, addressed to Jalal Talabani, the leader of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and Masud Barzani, the leader of the KDP, was the first formal security guarantee made to the Kurds by the Bush administration, which is reviewing all aspects of U.S.-Iraqi policy. [.....] Mr. Zebari said the Kurds have pushed for a formal security guarantee from Mr. Bush for some time. In June, Saddam massed between 8,000 and 12,000 troops inside the Kurdish-controlled no fly zone. "We came to Washington in the end of March as a joint delegation and we brought a joint letter from Mr. Barzani and Mr. Talabani outlining our main concerns and requests from the new administration," Mr. Zebari said. http://members.home.net/kurdistanobserver/17-10-01-tdn-tky-concerned-us-kdp. html * TURKEY CONCERNED ON US, IRAQ AND KDP by Saadet Oruc Kurdistan Observer, 17th October (from Turkish Daily News, 16th October) [.....] It is noteworthy that the State Minister responsible for customs, Mehmet Kececiler, has been complaining about the steps taken by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) along the Habour border gate and for ten days the diesel trade through the KDP-controlled area was stopped, starting up a few days ago. The additional tax imposed by the KDP was the reason, which made the Turkish officials angry, however business circles dealing with diesel trade in the region claimed there was Considerable political reason behind the Turkish anger towards the KDP. The political position of the Massoud Barzani-led KDP, which was defined to be nationalistic, was the main topic, raising eye brows in Ankara. Turkey has never forgotten the potential of a possible transmission between its Kurdish origined citizens and the Iraqi Kurds. http://members.home.net/kurdistanobserver/17-10-01-tdn-disagreement-kdp-tky. html * DISAGREEMENT ESCALATES BETWEEN TURKISH MILITARY AND KDP by Saadet Oruc Kurdustan Observer (from Turkish Daily News), 17th October Military ties between Turkey and the Massoud Barzani-led Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) forces in northern Iraq, which was initially established in 1992, is passing through a period of mutual disagreement, since the KDP refused to cooperate with the Turkish military in new cross border raids in northern Iraq. The lack of coordination between the Turkish military and the KDP resulted with the death of three members of Turkish Special Forces, two weeks ago, when a group of 200 special forces members, who were trying to enter northern Iraq, crossed an area riddled with land mines close to the Berwari region, regional sources told the Turkish Daily News. Two soldiers were injured during the same incident. As a result of the above mentioned incident, Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) pulled back the 200 special forces units and only a liaison official was left in the region. However, TSK deployed land forces on the Turkish side of the border, replacing gendarmerie units, sources say. Aksam Daily carried out a report on Monday stating that a unit from TSK with expertise in fighting terrorism, was sent to Silopi and partial alert was initiated by the army. TSK has a colonel stationed in Northern Iraq. Reportedly, since the beginning of the year 2000, TSK have been planning a cross-border operation in Northern Iraq, for which the KDP was seen to be reluctant. Claiming that there was no need for a crossborder move in the area, the KDP was drawing attention to the PKK presence in Iran and the PUK region, which was reportedly much more than the PKK elements in the KDP controlled area. Between Sept. 20-22, the Turkish commander based in Silopi visited Massoud Barzani in Salahattin and there has been broad contacts, where the Turkish commander was informed about developments in the region. Back to the year 1992 For the first time in 1992, which was recorded as the period with intensive fighting against the PKK, TSK established links with the KDP. In Aug. 1995, during PKK clashes with the KDP, TSK reportedly refrained from supporting the Iraqi Kurds, according to regional sources. But, ties were refreshed in 1996, which have lasted for three years. The opposition by KDP to frequent demands from TSK to launch crossborder raids in the region opened the first crash in the strong cooperation between the Turkish Army and KDP. http://members.home.net/kurdistanobserver/18-10-01-wt-tky-rushes-troops kurdistan.html * TURKEY RUSHES TROOPS TO IRAQI BORDER Kurdistan Observer (from World Tribune) 18th October ANKARA Turkey has rushed aircraft, helicopters and thousands of troops to the Iraqi border. Turkish defense sources as well as Arab diplomats said Ankara has beefed up forces along its southern border with Iraq as part of preparations for any hostility in the region. The sources said Ankara fears a U.S. attack on Iraq or a drive by President Saddam Hussein against the Kurdish autonomous zone in northern Iraq. Turkey has also begun patrols by fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters over northern Iraq in an effort to monitor the region. The Turkish military has established camps to accommodate thousands of additional troops who might be needed along the front. The Turkish sources said air force and army units in the area have been warned to stay at their bases and be ready for any contingency. Ankara has warned against any U.S. attack on Baghdad. Turkey has tried to improve diplomatic and trade relations with the Saddam regime. At the same time, Turkish leaders are bracing for the prospect that Iraq will be the next target in the U.S.-led war against terrorism. But the leaders have warned against any attempt to establish a Kurdish state in northern Iraq. One Turkish minister, Abdul Halouk Shai, has warned that a Kurdish state in northern Iraq would spark an immediate response from Ankara. Southeastern Turkey has a large Kurdish population. The Turkish sources said Ankara has discussed the volatile situation in northern Iraq with both Britain and the United States. On Tuesday, two Turkish soldiers were killed in a rocket attack in the eastern portion of the country. The attack was attributed to Kurdish insurgents. -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq For removal from list, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk CASI's website - www.casi.org.uk - includes an archive of all postings.