IRAQ UPDATE: 1-14 January 2009
February 4th, 2009
in:
CPTnet
4 February 2009
IRAQ UPDATE: 1-14 January 2009
CPTers serving on the Iraq team for this period were ChihChun Yuan, Hilary Scarsella, Beth Pyles, Doug Pritchard, Denis Murphy, John Lynes, Craig Kite, and Peggy Gish.
Thursday 1 January
The team traveled to the Duhok Governorate of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) to explore village accompaniment with villagers forced to abandon their homes and grazing lands because of the bombing of those lands by Turkey. One Mukhtar (informal community leader) spoke of the impact of the bombings on many local villages. The team attempted to make contact with the commander of a Turkish military base on the Iraqi side of the border, but officials higher up refused to grant the local base commander permission to speak with the team.
Friday 2 January
Gish, Kite and Lynes visited IDP (internally displaced persons) household from the border village of Kashan. A doctor from the village told them, "Saddam destroyed Kashan in 1975, deporting us all to a collective camp. Our mother was determined to return as soon as the No-Fly Zone was created. Since 1993 the Turks have been bombing our village. My brother's wife was injured by one of their bombs. This was once a tourist area. There were hotels and restaurants for visitors from Baghdad. Now only a handful of families remain."
A woman who had been injured by shrapnel spoke about her experience: "I returned to Kashan one evening, for planting the next day. I heard a Turkish plane overhead, so I sheltered behind a walnut tree. A bomb struck the tree. My leg was injured. Later the shrapnel was removed. The planes return again and again and again."
On leaving that home CPTers observed an unmarked Turkish observation post next to the local clinic in the center of Batufa.
In the village of Greebee, another Turkish military base is situated on a hilltop overlooking the village. A Turkish tank is part of the skyline. The Mukhtar there described the effect of the base on the life of the people: "Although the Turkish soldiers do not come down into the village, we are all scared. They have taken good land. We can no longer move around freely. The children are frightened when they hear Turkish aircraft overhead. The tank's gun-barrel is aimed at our village. If trouble starts we will be the first target. Halubja [referring to the chemical bombing of the city of Halubja by Saddam in the late 1980's] could come any day."
Thursday 8 January
Murphy, Pritchard, Pyles and Scarcella went to the Fremandi Base to meet about the situation in Khaniqeen, a town in the disputed territory within the Diyala Governorate. One of the women with whom they met, a Peshmerga officer and a resident of Khanaqeen, reported that 16,000 Kurdish returnees have not been registered to vote. About the Kurdish situation in general, the woman commander said, "There has not been any happy time for the Kurdish people. Everyregime is against the Kurds. In 1963 there was a flood of blood in the city when the Ba’athist party took over. Every Kurdish child had his ear opened by a gun. They grow up hearing them shoot, so they believe they need a gun too, in order to protect themselves." Another said, "I will give up my religion for my country. If I don't have a country what can I do with religion?"
Several expressed the belief that when foreign troops leave Iraq, the surrounding countries (including Iraq itself) will work against the Kurds. "We are afraid. When the U.S. leaves, [Iraqi Prime Minister] Malaki gets stronger."Â History was alive in the memories of the women present as one told of an event from 1983 in Sulimaniya. Forty youth under the age of sixteen were rounded up and taken from the city and accused of working against the Ba'ath party. They were killed and their bodies were dumped back in the city on Eid. The woman telling the story had two family members who were killed in that tragedy.
The women Peshmerga were interested in CPT's work and expressed support, but they were disappointed and slightly offended that CPT does not accept non-Christian members.
Monday 12 January
After prayer and reflection, the team decided to focus its accompaniment efforts in the Duhok Governorate. The team felt that the energy of the Spirit rested in this decision, having consensus that if our work does seriously develop in the Duhok region, the team would need to relocate there. The team adopted the following statement: "Before we take steps to move to the Duhok Governorate we will be sure that we have meaningful and sustained work in the region."
Tuesday 13 January
Pritchard, Pyles, and Yuan visited Khanaqeen. The primary concern of everyone with whom the team met was the apparent wide-spread disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of Kurdish returnees in light of the January 31 provincial elections for the Diyala Governorate.
Wednesday 14 January
The team is pursuing international observer status to observe and report on the election process, let those responsible for the integrity of the election process know that others are aware of and concerned about the situation, and press for a more just outcome to the election process.
4 February 2009
IRAQ UPDATE: 1-14 January 2009
CPTers serving on the Iraq team for this period were ChihChun Yuan, Hilary Scarsella, Beth Pyles, Doug Pritchard, Denis Murphy, John Lynes, Craig Kite, and Peggy Gish.
Thursday 1 January
The team traveled to the Duhok Governorate of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) to explore village accompaniment with villagers forced to abandon their homes and grazing lands because of the bombing of those lands by Turkey. One Mukhtar (informal community leader) spoke of the impact of the bombings on many local villages. The team attempted to make contact with the commander of a Turkish military base on the Iraqi side of the border, but officials higher up refused to grant the local base commander permission to speak with the team.
Friday 2 January
Gish, Kite and Lynes visited IDP (internally displaced persons) household from the border village of Kashan. A doctor from the village told them, "Saddam destroyed Kashan in 1975, deporting us all to a collective camp. Our mother was determined to return as soon as the No-Fly Zone was created. Since 1993 the Turks have been bombing our village. My brother's wife was injured by one of their bombs. This was once a tourist area. There were hotels and restaurants for visitors from Baghdad. Now only a handful of families remain."
A woman who had been injured by shrapnel spoke about her experience: "I returned to Kashan one evening, for planting the next day. I heard a Turkish plane overhead, so I sheltered behind a walnut tree. A bomb struck the tree. My leg was injured. Later the shrapnel was removed. The planes return again and again and again."
On leaving that home CPTers observed an unmarked Turkish observation post next to the local clinic in the center of Batufa.
In the village of Greebee, another Turkish military base is situated on a hilltop overlooking the village. A Turkish tank is part of the skyline. The Mukhtar there described the effect of the base on the life of the people: "Although the Turkish soldiers do not come down into the village, we are all scared. They have taken good land. We can no longer move around freely. The children are frightened when they hear Turkish aircraft overhead. The tank's gun-barrel is aimed at our village. If trouble starts we will be the first target. Halubja [referring to the chemical bombing of the city of Halubja by Saddam in the late 1980's] could come any day."
Thursday 8 January
Murphy, Pritchard, Pyles and Scarcella went to the Fremandi Base to meet about the situation in Khaniqeen, a town in the disputed territory within the Diyala Governorate. One of the women with whom they met, a Peshmerga officer and a resident of Khanaqeen, reported that 16,000 Kurdish returnees have not been registered to vote. About the Kurdish situation in general, the woman commander said, "There has not been any happy time for the Kurdish people. Everyregime is against the Kurds. In 1963 there was a flood of blood in the city when the Ba’athist party took over. Every Kurdish child had his ear opened by a gun. They grow up hearing them shoot, so they believe they need a gun too, in order to protect themselves." Another said, "I will give up my religion for my country. If I don't have a country what can I do with religion?"
Several expressed the belief that when foreign troops leave Iraq, the surrounding countries (including Iraq itself) will work against the Kurds. "We are afraid. When the U.S. leaves, [Iraqi Prime Minister] Malaki gets stronger."Â History was alive in the memories of the women present as one told of an event from 1983 in Sulimaniya. Forty youth under the age of sixteen were rounded up and taken from the city and accused of working against the Ba'ath party. They were killed and their bodies were dumped back in the city on Eid. The woman telling the story had two family members who were killed in that tragedy.
The women Peshmerga were interested in CPT's work and expressed support, but they were disappointed and slightly offended that CPT does not accept non-Christian members.
Monday 12 January
After prayer and reflection, the team decided to focus its accompaniment efforts in the Duhok Governorate. The team felt that the energy of the Spirit rested in this decision, having consensus that if our work does seriously develop in the Duhok region, the team would need to relocate there. The team adopted the following statement: "Before we take steps to move to the Duhok Governorate we will be sure that we have meaningful and sustained work in the region."
Tuesday 13 January
Pritchard, Pyles, and Yuan visited Khanaqeen. The primary concern of everyone with whom the team met was the apparent wide-spread disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of Kurdish returnees in light of the January 31 provincial elections for the Diyala Governorate.
Wednesday 14 January
The team is pursuing international observer status to observe and report on the election process, let those responsible for the integrity of the election process know that others are aware of and concerned about the situation, and press for a more just outcome to the election process.
