Kurd News
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Northern Iraq
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Friday, January 16, 2004
Kurdistan PM: Kirkuk is part of Kurdistan.
Dr. Barham Salih, the Prime Minster of the Sulaimani-based Kurdistan Regional Government has arrived in Ankara , Turkey for talks with officials amid concerns in Ankara over a Kurdish push for expanded self-rule in the Iraqi Kurdistan.
Dr. Barham told reporters outside the airport "I am here to discuss the recent developments in the Kurdistan region,"
PM Saleh said "Barham Salih: "Within a federal Iraq, there will be a region called Kurdistan. And Kirkuk is part of Kurdistan. It is part of our history and identity."
Northern Iraq
Dr. Barham Salih, the Prime Minster of the Sulaimani-based Kurdistan Regional Government has arrived in Ankara , Turkey for talks with officials amid concerns in Ankara over a Kurdish push for expanded self-rule in the Iraqi Kurdistan.
Dr. Barham told reporters outside the airport "I am here to discuss the recent developments in the Kurdistan region,"
PM Saleh said "Barham Salih: "Within a federal Iraq, there will be a region called Kurdistan. And Kirkuk is part of Kurdistan. It is part of our history and identity."
Turkish FM does not want to meet Kurdistani Prime Minister
Abdullaha Gul, the Turkish Foreign Minister will not receive Dr. Berham Salih, the Prime Minister of the Slemani-based Kurdistan Regional Government, reported the Turkish media.
Dr. Barham Saleh is in Ankara for official meetings about the developments in Iraq and Kurdistan. Turkish newspapers and media outlets stated that the reason for Gul's decision is based on the PUK Official's statement that 'Kirkuk is a Kurdish city.'
Abdullaha Gul, the Turkish Foreign Minister will not receive Dr. Berham Salih, the Prime Minister of the Slemani-based Kurdistan Regional Government, reported the Turkish media.
Dr. Barham Saleh is in Ankara for official meetings about the developments in Iraq and Kurdistan. Turkish newspapers and media outlets stated that the reason for Gul's decision is based on the PUK Official's statement that 'Kirkuk is a Kurdish city.'
KurdNews.tk is back
After a long break, KurdNews.tk is happy to announce its return. We try to update our website on a regular basis. We are also working on creating a discussion forum for this website !
After a long break, KurdNews.tk is happy to announce its return. We try to update our website on a regular basis. We are also working on creating a discussion forum for this website !
Monday, October 20, 2003
Talabani Due in Turkey
The Patriotic Union for Kurdistan (PUK) general secretary, Jalal Talabani, will go to Turkey on November 19, reported the leftist Turkish newspaper, Radikal.
Talabani will be the president of the Iraqi Governing Council in November. The paper said that "Turkey's determination on Iraq's territorial integrity and preservation of Iraq's political unity are expected to be conveyed to Talabani during the visit."
The Patriotic Union for Kurdistan (PUK) general secretary, Jalal Talabani, will go to Turkey on November 19, reported the leftist Turkish newspaper, Radikal.
Talabani will be the president of the Iraqi Governing Council in November. The paper said that "Turkey's determination on Iraq's territorial integrity and preservation of Iraq's political unity are expected to be conveyed to Talabani during the visit."
Saddam's New Letter
The ousted Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein urged tribal leaders to start their wars on Americans and their co-operates, reported the AFP.
The letter had the same tone as all Saddam's previous letters. The ousted dictator called to continue the resistance against the Americans and said that "victory is close".
"Your strikes, which they did not expect hurt them. Their demons made them believe Iraq would be just a mouthful. To the contrary, it has been poison for them."
It was not clear whether Saddam's signature on the note was authentic.
Saturday, October 18, 2003
Bin Laden Attacks Kurdish Democratic Parties
The terorist leader of the terrorist Al-Qaeda organisation attacked Kurdish political parties in a voice message broadcasted on the Arabic Al-Jazeera TV today. The speaker, presumable Bin Laden, lashed out at “infidel parties,” singling out the Baath Party of toppled Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and “Kurdish democratic parties.” Bin Laden also praised the terrorist outlawed “Ansar Al Islam, the descendants of Saladin,” in a reference to the Islamist group which the United States and Kurdish political parties accuse of links with Al Qaeda.
The terorist leader of the terrorist Al-Qaeda organisation attacked Kurdish political parties in a voice message broadcasted on the Arabic Al-Jazeera TV today. The speaker, presumable Bin Laden, lashed out at “infidel parties,” singling out the Baath Party of toppled Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and “Kurdish democratic parties.” Bin Laden also praised the terrorist outlawed “Ansar Al Islam, the descendants of Saladin,” in a reference to the Islamist group which the United States and Kurdish political parties accuse of links with Al Qaeda.
Turkish Democracy Joke : Doors Are Not Big Enough
Turkish officials have put the brakes on what was to be one of country's first Kurdish-language teaching centers because its classroom doors were not wide enough, reported AFP.
During a preliminary inspection at the center in Batman city in Northern Kurdistan this week, inspectors established that the doors of its six classrooms were 85 centimeters wide, whereas the rules said they had to measure 90 centimeters.
However, the owner of the institution Aydin Unesi said Saturday he was optimistic about the future of his troubled undertaking.
"We dismantled the doors today and the new doors will be installed tomorrow. This is the only problem the inspectors detected and we hope to get the necessary permission in 15 days, or in a month at the latest," Unesi told AFP by telephone.
"The doors of other teaching centers in Batman are also not standard, but we are showing tolerance... This is something new for a country where Kurdish was banned until just a year ago and it is normal for inspectors to be over-cautious," he said.
In a taboo-breaking move last year the Turkish parliament allowed private institutions to teach the language of the country's restive Kurdish minority as part of reforms aimed at boosting Turkey's struggling bid to join the European Union.
But the courses have so far failed to take off, and there have been complaints by entrepreneurs that authorities have imposed a mass of procedural rules which impede business on the ground.
The EU has also criticized Ankara for failing to properly enact the reforms its has passed.
Unesi said several language teaching centers in the Northern Kurdistan have come very close to finally opening their doors to students.
Turkish officials have put the brakes on what was to be one of country's first Kurdish-language teaching centers because its classroom doors were not wide enough, reported AFP.
During a preliminary inspection at the center in Batman city in Northern Kurdistan this week, inspectors established that the doors of its six classrooms were 85 centimeters wide, whereas the rules said they had to measure 90 centimeters.
However, the owner of the institution Aydin Unesi said Saturday he was optimistic about the future of his troubled undertaking.
"We dismantled the doors today and the new doors will be installed tomorrow. This is the only problem the inspectors detected and we hope to get the necessary permission in 15 days, or in a month at the latest," Unesi told AFP by telephone.
"The doors of other teaching centers in Batman are also not standard, but we are showing tolerance... This is something new for a country where Kurdish was banned until just a year ago and it is normal for inspectors to be over-cautious," he said.
In a taboo-breaking move last year the Turkish parliament allowed private institutions to teach the language of the country's restive Kurdish minority as part of reforms aimed at boosting Turkey's struggling bid to join the European Union.
But the courses have so far failed to take off, and there have been complaints by entrepreneurs that authorities have imposed a mass of procedural rules which impede business on the ground.
The EU has also criticized Ankara for failing to properly enact the reforms its has passed.
Unesi said several language teaching centers in the Northern Kurdistan have come very close to finally opening their doors to students.
Tourism Boosts up Economy in south Kurdistan
The number of the Arab tourists in south (Iraqi) Kurdistan has boosted up the Kurdish economy. Since the fall of the dictatorship rule in Iraq, vast numbers of Arab tourists are arriving in south (Iraqi) Kurdistan.
Saddam effectively sealed off the south (Iraqi) Kurdistan to most ordinary Iraqis after the great Kurdish uprising in 1991. The Kurds established their own government in a free and democratic elections in 1992, with the help of Western powers whose warplanes watched over it.
With Saddam gone, thousands of Iraqis from the mainly Arab center and South of the country spent the summer rediscovering what used to be a favorite vacation area, its cooler climate and mountains a welcome change from intense heat and flat desert.
For many young Iraqi Arabs this is the first time they see the beauty of Kurdistan.
Ali an Arab Iraqi has told Reuters "I can't believe I'm here," sitting at a plastic table in the Anishki cave about (30 miles) south of the Turkish border, one of many long-established tourist attractions in the south (Iraqi) Kurdistan which have enjoyed a boost this summer.
"People are treating me so well," Ali added.
Kurdish hotels and restaurants have increased their sales by %70, according to some financial watches.
Baghdad travel agents who specialized in tours to Kurdistan quickly dusted off their itineraries after the war and sent busloads of visitors to the area every week. The tourist numbers tailed off only with the start of the school year this month.
Kamiran Barwary, the general manager of the Jiyan Hotel in Dohuk, the main Kurdish town north of Mosul, told Reuters that a 70 percent increase in guests from the rest of Iraq since the war ended.
"People were afraid of coming here. Now their reason for being afraid has gone," he said.
The number of the Arab tourists in south (Iraqi) Kurdistan has boosted up the Kurdish economy. Since the fall of the dictatorship rule in Iraq, vast numbers of Arab tourists are arriving in south (Iraqi) Kurdistan.
Saddam effectively sealed off the south (Iraqi) Kurdistan to most ordinary Iraqis after the great Kurdish uprising in 1991. The Kurds established their own government in a free and democratic elections in 1992, with the help of Western powers whose warplanes watched over it.
With Saddam gone, thousands of Iraqis from the mainly Arab center and South of the country spent the summer rediscovering what used to be a favorite vacation area, its cooler climate and mountains a welcome change from intense heat and flat desert.
For many young Iraqi Arabs this is the first time they see the beauty of Kurdistan.
Ali an Arab Iraqi has told Reuters "I can't believe I'm here," sitting at a plastic table in the Anishki cave about (30 miles) south of the Turkish border, one of many long-established tourist attractions in the south (Iraqi) Kurdistan which have enjoyed a boost this summer.
"People are treating me so well," Ali added.
Kurdish hotels and restaurants have increased their sales by %70, according to some financial watches.
Baghdad travel agents who specialized in tours to Kurdistan quickly dusted off their itineraries after the war and sent busloads of visitors to the area every week. The tourist numbers tailed off only with the start of the school year this month.
Kamiran Barwary, the general manager of the Jiyan Hotel in Dohuk, the main Kurdish town north of Mosul, told Reuters that a 70 percent increase in guests from the rest of Iraq since the war ended.
"People were afraid of coming here. Now their reason for being afraid has gone," he said.
Top Kurdish Leaders Are On Baath Assassination List
According to a statement by the terrorist toppled Arab Baath party, four top Kurdish politicians are on their assassination list. The statement is issued on 6th of October 2003 and it urges its terrorist member to "kill" 15 Iraqi and Kurdish politicians. The Kurdish politicians are; Massoud Barzani, the president of Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP, Jalal Talabani, the general secretary of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, PUK, Dr. Barham Saleh, the Prime Minister of the Sulaimani based Kurdistan Regional Government, and Hoshyar Zebary, a high ranking member of the KDP and the current Iraqi foreign Minister. According to another statement by the terrorist outlawed organisation another 15 Iraqi Ministers are on their assassination list. The terrorist outlawed Baath party has always terrorised the Iraqi and the Kurdish people since its existence. The aim of the terrorist outlawed Baath organisation is to create a united Arab country.
According to a statement by the terrorist toppled Arab Baath party, four top Kurdish politicians are on their assassination list. The statement is issued on 6th of October 2003 and it urges its terrorist member to "kill" 15 Iraqi and Kurdish politicians. The Kurdish politicians are; Massoud Barzani, the president of Kurdistan Democratic Party KDP, Jalal Talabani, the general secretary of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, PUK, Dr. Barham Saleh, the Prime Minister of the Sulaimani based Kurdistan Regional Government, and Hoshyar Zebary, a high ranking member of the KDP and the current Iraqi foreign Minister. According to another statement by the terrorist outlawed organisation another 15 Iraqi Ministers are on their assassination list. The terrorist outlawed Baath party has always terrorised the Iraqi and the Kurdish people since its existence. The aim of the terrorist outlawed Baath organisation is to create a united Arab country.
Freedom Idol "Leyla Zana" retrial in the terrorist Turkish courts
The retrial of Kurdish freedom idol. Leyla Zana and three of her colleagues has resumed in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
Miss Zana was arrested for and found guilty of membership of a the PKK organisation in 1994.
But her trial was considered unfair by the European Court of Human Rights.
The retrial has become something of a test case.
It is only taking place because of reforms to Turkey's legal system allowing such retrials to be ordered.
The reforms are part of Turkey's attempts to join the European Union.
Ms Zana was one of the first MPs in Turkey to represent a Kurdish party.
She shocked and angered the establishment by taking her parliamentary oath in Kurdish as well as Turkish.
She also actively promoted Kurdish rights at a time when the Turkish state was battling the Kurdish paramilitary organisation, the PKK.
Ms Zana was arrested and charged at various times with a variety of offences.
She has been in prison for nine years.
Her trial was widely denounced as unfair.
Now, slowly, with just one hearing a month, Ms Zana is being retried.
The case is attended by a variety of international observers and members of the European Parliament.
Miss Zana is the recipient of the EU parliament's Sakharov Peace Prize.
She has been unable to collect the prize because she has been in the prison.
The retrial of Kurdish freedom idol. Leyla Zana and three of her colleagues has resumed in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
Miss Zana was arrested for and found guilty of membership of a the PKK organisation in 1994.
But her trial was considered unfair by the European Court of Human Rights.
The retrial has become something of a test case.
It is only taking place because of reforms to Turkey's legal system allowing such retrials to be ordered.
The reforms are part of Turkey's attempts to join the European Union.
Ms Zana was one of the first MPs in Turkey to represent a Kurdish party.
She shocked and angered the establishment by taking her parliamentary oath in Kurdish as well as Turkish.
She also actively promoted Kurdish rights at a time when the Turkish state was battling the Kurdish paramilitary organisation, the PKK.
Ms Zana was arrested and charged at various times with a variety of offences.
She has been in prison for nine years.
Her trial was widely denounced as unfair.
Now, slowly, with just one hearing a month, Ms Zana is being retried.
The case is attended by a variety of international observers and members of the European Parliament.
Miss Zana is the recipient of the EU parliament's Sakharov Peace Prize.
She has been unable to collect the prize because she has been in the prison.
Friday, October 17, 2003
Kurdish Police Shoot Down Terrorist Suicide Bomber
An Iraqi suicide car bomber was gunned down by Kurdish security agents before he could blow up the Kurdistani interior ministry building in the city of Arbil, an official from the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) said.
"A terrorist Iraqi in a Toyota carrying more than 100 kilograms of TNT sped towards the interior ministry building around 12:35 pm (0935 GMT) before trying to activate the explosives," Karim Singari, the Kurdistan Regional government's interior minister, told reporters.
"The ministry guards reacted and shot at the man who had penetrated the grounds of the building after crossing through checkpoints," he said.
"The Iraqi killed was called Hamed Ali Ahmed and was 19 years old.
"We have proof of who ordered this operation but we want to further investigate to be sure about these people and pinpoint them," he said.
An Iraqi suicide car bomber was gunned down by Kurdish security agents before he could blow up the Kurdistani interior ministry building in the city of Arbil, an official from the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) said.
"A terrorist Iraqi in a Toyota carrying more than 100 kilograms of TNT sped towards the interior ministry building around 12:35 pm (0935 GMT) before trying to activate the explosives," Karim Singari, the Kurdistan Regional government's interior minister, told reporters.
"The ministry guards reacted and shot at the man who had penetrated the grounds of the building after crossing through checkpoints," he said.
"The Iraqi killed was called Hamed Ali Ahmed and was 19 years old.
"We have proof of who ordered this operation but we want to further investigate to be sure about these people and pinpoint them," he said.
Talabani arrives in Egypt
The general secretary of the PUK has arrived in Egypt, reported Kurdistani Newi, the PUK Kurdish daily.
Talabani has arrived in Egypt after the the Barzani's visit to Egypt. Talabani has met with Omar Sleman, the head of Egypt's secret services and with Osama Al-Baz, Egytp's presidential adviser.
The general secretary of the PUK has arrived in Egypt, reported Kurdistani Newi, the PUK Kurdish daily.
Talabani has arrived in Egypt after the the Barzani's visit to Egypt. Talabani has met with Omar Sleman, the head of Egypt's secret services and with Osama Al-Baz, Egytp's presidential adviser.
Exchange rates in Iraqi (south) Kurdistan
$100= 1205 Iraqi Dinars
1000 (Iraqi Saddam Dinar)= 6.15 (Kurdish Swiss Dinars)
100 Euros= 1390 Kurdish Swiss Dinars
$100= 1205 Iraqi Dinars
1000 (Iraqi Saddam Dinar)= 6.15 (Kurdish Swiss Dinars)
100 Euros= 1390 Kurdish Swiss Dinars
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Terrorist Turkish soldiers wound 5 Kurds in North Kurdistan
At least five villagers were wounded in a clash which erupted when terrorist Turkish forces raided a village in mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdistan), local officials and the country's main Kurdish party said Wednesday.
The Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) said seven villagers sustained injuries when the terrorist Turkish gendarmes swooped down on the village and opened fire.
The terrorist Turkish gendarmerie is an army unit tasked with enforcing public order in rural areas.
Villagers who were taking the wounded to hospital were stopped at a nearby gendarmerie station and threatened, DEHAP added in a statement.
"It is extremely interesting" that the raid followed the opening hearing last Friday of a high-profile trial in which 405 gendarmerie soldiers are charged with the repeated rape of a local Kurdish woman when she was in custody, the party said.
The woman, known only as S.E., says she was tortured and raped by the troops each time she was detained in November 1993 and in March and August
Since S.E. said she was blindfolded during her ordeals and was unable to identify the culprits, the prosecution has charged all the soldiers who served during that period in two stations in Mardin where she claims she was abused.
The terrorist Turkish authorities have come under accusations of gross human rights violations in their crackdown on Kurdish freedom fighters who fought a 15-year armed campaign for self-rule in the country's southeastern corner.
At least five villagers were wounded in a clash which erupted when terrorist Turkish forces raided a village in mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdistan), local officials and the country's main Kurdish party said Wednesday.
The Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) said seven villagers sustained injuries when the terrorist Turkish gendarmes swooped down on the village and opened fire.
The terrorist Turkish gendarmerie is an army unit tasked with enforcing public order in rural areas.
Villagers who were taking the wounded to hospital were stopped at a nearby gendarmerie station and threatened, DEHAP added in a statement.
"It is extremely interesting" that the raid followed the opening hearing last Friday of a high-profile trial in which 405 gendarmerie soldiers are charged with the repeated rape of a local Kurdish woman when she was in custody, the party said.
The woman, known only as S.E., says she was tortured and raped by the troops each time she was detained in November 1993 and in March and August
Since S.E. said she was blindfolded during her ordeals and was unable to identify the culprits, the prosecution has charged all the soldiers who served during that period in two stations in Mardin where she claims she was abused.
The terrorist Turkish authorities have come under accusations of gross human rights violations in their crackdown on Kurdish freedom fighters who fought a 15-year armed campaign for self-rule in the country's southeastern corner.
Abdulla Gul threatens Kurds as the Turkish embassy is blown up in Baghdad
The forieng Minister of the Turkish republic threatened Kurds saying that his country could have negotiated with Saddam Hussein to decapitate the Kurds.
Replying to Zebari's comments, the Kurdish foriegn Minister of Iraq, , “We have reservations about Turkey’s sending troops to Iraq. Turkey has never accepted the cities of Kerkuk (Kirkuk) and Musul (Mosul) in Kurdistan as part of Iraq”, Gul responded, “You owe your lives to us.”
“Saddam Hussein made amazing proposals to us. These proposals were financial in nature, but they could also have been very different.
“We refused the offer immediately when Saddam said, ‘Come on, let’s decapitate Kurds together’ . Turkey has always regarded the Mosul Willayet (south Kurdistan) as part of its region of interest.
The forieng Minister of the Turkish republic threatened Kurds saying that his country could have negotiated with Saddam Hussein to decapitate the Kurds.
Replying to Zebari's comments, the Kurdish foriegn Minister of Iraq, , “We have reservations about Turkey’s sending troops to Iraq. Turkey has never accepted the cities of Kerkuk (Kirkuk) and Musul (Mosul) in Kurdistan as part of Iraq”, Gul responded, “You owe your lives to us.”
“Saddam Hussein made amazing proposals to us. These proposals were financial in nature, but they could also have been very different.
“We refused the offer immediately when Saddam said, ‘Come on, let’s decapitate Kurds together’ . Turkey has always regarded the Mosul Willayet (south Kurdistan) as part of its region of interest.
Saddam to Turkey : Let’s decapitate the Kurds together, let’s destroy them
The ousted Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein tried to negotiate with Turkey to destroy the Kurdish nation, reported the Turkish daily, Zaman.
Yesterday, the Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul revealed that overthrown Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein made proposals to Turkey before the war urging cooperation against Kurdish groups in Iraq.
Gul stated that the proposals were made through Iraq’s former Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and that at every opportunity (i.e. bilateral meetings) Aziz brought the matter up.
Hussein’s message apparently was, “Let’s decapitate the Kurds together, let’s destroy them”. The Turks claim that Saddam's offer was refused.
However, diplomatic sources clarified that the word ‘decapitate’ was meant to imply ‘block’ or ‘hinder’. Turkey continuted to occupy parts of Iraqi (south) Kurdistan since 1992. Turkish planes were regularly attacking south Kurdistani cities.
The ousted Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein tried to negotiate with Turkey to destroy the Kurdish nation, reported the Turkish daily, Zaman.
Yesterday, the Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul revealed that overthrown Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein made proposals to Turkey before the war urging cooperation against Kurdish groups in Iraq.
Gul stated that the proposals were made through Iraq’s former Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and that at every opportunity (i.e. bilateral meetings) Aziz brought the matter up.
Hussein’s message apparently was, “Let’s decapitate the Kurds together, let’s destroy them”. The Turks claim that Saddam's offer was refused.
However, diplomatic sources clarified that the word ‘decapitate’ was meant to imply ‘block’ or ‘hinder’. Turkey continuted to occupy parts of Iraqi (south) Kurdistan since 1992. Turkish planes were regularly attacking south Kurdistani cities.
