Category Archives: Kirkuk

South of Kurdistan: The Only Way Forward

By Arian Mufid: On 25th September the referendum took place and 92% voted “yes” to a Kurdish state and separation from Iraq. As a result the Iraqi government started their attack on Kurdistan with the help of Iran and, within a few hours, Iraqi and Iranian Shia militia troops captured the most strategic city of…

Let the Kurdistan Flag Fly High Over Kerkuk!

By Dr. Rashid Karadaghi: What happened in Kerkuk this week has helped restore my faith in the ability of our people to build the future that they so deserve. We must all salute the bravery of Dr. Najmaldeen Karim, the Kerkuk Governor, and his supporters for doing the right thing, which is raising the Kurdistan…

The Battle for Mosul is Key for Europe’s Peace and Stability

By Arian Mufid: In light of what is happening in the Middle East generally and in the city of Mosul especially, the whole world’s attention is now focused on events in these areas and, indeed, if there is insufficiently serious consideration by advisors and supervisors in Europe this will result in severe consequences. The events…

ISIS’s terrible miscalculation

By Arian Mufid: During the Second World War the Polish nation displayed a most impressive resistance against the Nazis. History shows that you need to be ruthless in dealing with brutal forces. There was a lower level of collaboration in Poland than in any other occupied country in Europe.  The main reason for this is that…

This is our war and the KRG must give top priority to defence strategy

By Arian Mufid: The opening weeks of 2015 have involved heavy bloodshed and martyrdom for Kurds in the south of Kurdistan. While in west Kurdistan ISIS (Daesh) forces were forced to retreat from Kobani, in the southern, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), areas ISIS has been on an almost continual offensive on several fronts, to an…

The Kurds’ Crude Making Americans Cheerful

Kurdish oil

By Dr. M. Koohzad: This article first appeared on CounterPunch Americans are very happy to see the price of fuel especially gasoline falling before the beginning of the cold season. They are smiling, happy, laughing, giggling, and even shouting at prices beyond their imagination. The price of gasoline has been decreasing since April and by…

KDP diplomatic failure has shocked the people of Kurdistan

By Arian Mufid: After Mosul was seized by IS forces in June, the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) managed to secure some ‘disputed’ areas belonging to the south of Kurdistan, after these areas were abandoned by the Iraqi army. A few weeks later, Masud Barzani, leader of the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) and president of the Kurdistan…

Iraq: Coexistence, Dissolution or Mayhem?

Aras Ahmed

By Aras Ahmed Mhamad: The first thought that comes to mind when mentioning America for a typical Iraqi Arab, be they Sunni or Shia, is that Americans are occupiers, liars, or even Kufar (disbelievers). This should not be seen as an accusation but rather based on personal experiences with Iraqi Arab acquaintances and Kurdish relatives…

This is Maliki’s war – he is responsible for this disaster

By Mufid Abdulla: On 10th June 2014 the world awoke to news of a huge disaster in the troubled area of Iraq. The criminals and thugs who call themselves ISIL (or IS, for ‘Islamic State’) had taken over Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, and also Tikrit. It was a tragedy and everyone asked: how could…

Hawrami: We will export 1 million bpd of Kurd oil, including from Kirkuk

KT News: South Kurdistan Natural Resources Minister Ashti Hawrami is talking about an 800 per cent increase in oil exports which will include oil pumped from the Kirkuk oil fields just recently secured by Kurdish peshmarga forces. “We expect to be able to export 1 million bpd by the end of next year, including crude…

What does ISIS mean for Kurds?

By Evan Mamand: Over the past two weeks, the world has once again turned its attention on the unfolding events in Iraq. As global media outlets scurry to invite political analysts to share their perspectives on the situation (airing interesting analyses with viable outcomes to the situation), the Kurds have inadvertently gained centre stage as the…

Kirkuk: Mine, yours, theirs or ours?

Evin Cheikosman

By Evin Cheikosman: Overview Kirkuk is a city in Iraq that has been a heated topic for internal territorial disputes, and the source for bitter relations amongst its old and new inhabitants, for a very long time. Since the 1920s, when Britain created the country of Iraq; Kurds, Sunni Arabs, Turkmens, Chaldeans, Assyrians, and other minorities…

Kirkuk bombs ‘linked to rising international terror’

KT News and Comment: Kirkuk was shaken this week by another round of terrorist attacks, this time directly targeting the PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) and Kurdish Peshmerga forces. On Wednesday morning a suicide bomber rammed his car, packed with explosives, into the entrance of the Kirkuk PUK office. Another car bomb struck a Pehsmerga…

Peshmergas deployed to fill Kirkuk security vacuum

Peshmarga forces

KT News: Kurdish Peshmerga forces have been sent to the outskirts of Kirkuk to protect local citizens from sectarian violence. The threat of terrorist attack has increased with the deepening dispute between Iraq’s Sunni population and the Maliki government. Last week dozens were killed and injured in Kirkuk in yet another bombing. According to the…

Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation; too little action taken against FGM

Stop FGM

By HIVOS and WADI: Encouraging steps in Iraq The 6th of February was introduced by the United Nations as The International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Since then public awareness worldwide has grown. In a time when women’s rights and violence against women are discussed more than ever before, especially in…