IKV Iraq news bulletin
Persbericht.
Den Haag, 24 maart 2003 - Het Interkerkelijk Vredesberaad IKV is er in geslaagd in contact te blijven met enkele mensen in Irak, in het bijzonder in het Koerdische gebied. IKV heeft enkele jonge journalisten van de krant Hawlati uitgerust met satelliet telefoons, zodat het contact gedurende de gehele crisis in stand kan blijven. Hawlati is de enige onafhankelijke krant in Irak en wordt gepubliceerd in Suleimaniya en Arbil, de twee grootste steden in Iraaks Koerdistan. Drie keer per week, of vaker als dat nodig is, publiceert het IKV een selectie van relevante informatie uit deze bronnen in het Engelstalige “IKV Iraq news bulletin”. De informatie is complementair aan de berichtgeving door grote nieuwsagentschappen. Het IKV heeft niet de pretentie een volledige dekking te geven van het nieuws van de oorlog in Irak, maar geeft op deze manier een uniek inzicht in de situatie in Irak.
Hieronder vindt u het eerste exemplaar van deze nieuwsbrief.
Het News bulletin wordt u toegezonden als u zich abonneert door een email te versturen aan: jmuller@ikv.nl .
Het bulletin wordt geïntegreerd in het discussieforum “Talk to the Iraqi people” op de website van IKV op WWW.IKV.NL.Voor meer informatie neem contact op met:
IKV 070-3507100 Naglaa el Hajj (nelhajj@ikv.nl) of Jan Jaap van Oosterzee (jjvanoosterzee@ikv.nl)
Kurdistan, North Iraq, 24 March 2003
The situation in Iraq as general and in Kurdistan (North Iraq) in particular, is so tense and so insecure. Fear and insecurity are the most dominant feelings among the Iraqi at the moment. People in Kurdistan are suffering in two level; the first level of the suffering because they have not idea or influence on their fate and the fate of their family, the second level of suffering is due to the fact that people in North Iraq are afraid and scared that Saddam may use his biological and chemical weapons against them as he did before. There fore, they fled their own cities.
Therefore, and according to reliable sources in the region, people fled their cities and left their houses and their belongings and fled to the mountains, and to the villages in borders avoiding any attack by Saddam and his system. Those people are now waiting in different villages such as Swran, Diana in a very difficult situation. Not enough food, no shelter (even no tents), and no future as they said. The children start getting chest infections as is it raining all around and they lacked the basic materials for health protection.
Additionally, around 30,000 Iraqi fled Baghdad and Kirkuk cities, seeking refugee in Kurdistan and preferring to be under the protection of KDP and PUK. However, their struggle to get out of these cities was hard as the security and the police forced them to stay and issued a rule to prevent anyone from leaving Baghdad. People who are arriving as refugees are overwhelmed by mixture of feelings; feeling of sadness as they left their houses and all their belongings there and feeling of happiness as they managed to get out of the controlled area of Saddam.
The latest news for the region saying that people in Kurdistan are very happy, of the American decision not to include Turkish troops as for the Iraqi people the intervention of the Turkish troops means the end of their struggle and a new occupation for them. American troops have attacked the group of Ansar Al-Islam (fundamentalist terrorist group related to Al Qaida) by missiles yesterday and the day before, and a lot of member of this Islamic group have been killed.
There are some talks that American will use Kurdish troops instead of the Turkish one. The question that remains for the Kurds is whether they will be allowed in Kirkuk by the American as it is a very sensitive issue and may creates dispute in the region.
Still the main issue is the refugees and the needy people who are waiting for help and urging for any humanitarian assistance.Information by: Asos Hardi, editor Hawlati magazine
Translation: Naglaa el Hajj, IKV
24 March 2003
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