Let’s stop Maliki: ‘Dijla’ cannot climb ‘Hamreen’

Kamal Chomani

By Kamal Chomani:

Dijla Operations Command is nothing but a step by quasi-Ba’athist Premier Nouri Al-Maliki’s to totally control Kirkuk and the other Kurdish areas which have not yet been incorporated into Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) territory, following the former dictatorship’s atrocities designed to change the demography of these areas.

It is time to tell Maliki: Stop!

We, as critical Kurdish journalists, never stop criticizing the current situation in Kurdistan but, when a danger knocks on the door of our national interests, we are all unanimous to face it at any cost.

When the conflicts started between PM Maliki and KRG President Masoud Barzani, few people were on Barzani’s side inside Kurdistan because those conflicts were not in Kurdistan’s national interests. They were more or less provoked by Turkey and Sunni factions in Iraq. And Barzani did not have the support of Kurdish people, the media and opposition parties – which was the reason that he couldn’t defeat Al-Maliki. Not to mention that even Talabani wasn’t happy with that initiative.

In the last three weeks there have been some new developments. Nawsherwan Mustafa, the Change Movement leader visited Kirkuk and announced his Movement’s support for Najmaldin Karim, Kirkuk’s Governor. This visit was in the midst of the recent developments. Nawsherwan Mustafa realized how much Kirkuk is in danger if the Dijla Command succeeds whereas he didn’t support Barzani in withdrawing confidence from Maliki. President Jalal Talabani – after he was betrayed by Maliki since he couldn’t commit to his promises to Talabani to dissolve the Dijla Operations Command – is now back in Slemanni. According to Daily Hawlati, he may not go back to Baghdad unless the Dijla dispute is resolved. Azad Jundiyani, the PUK’s spokesperson, expressed his party’s anger towards Maliki. The Islamic Group and Islamic Union, the other two opposition parties, have already shown their opposition to Maliki’s Dijla intentions.

Following these positive reactions, President Masoud Barzani declared his anxiety with the Dijla Command Operations. In a statement yesterday Barzani said that the formation of the Dijla Operations Command “will lead to more instability,” and “The intentions, the aims, the formation, and the actions of this Command are against the Kurdish people, the political process, co-existence and the process of normalizing the situation in the disputed areas.”

At the end of the statement, he underscored that “after consultation with the Iraqi President and other concerned parties, we will make our position clear and take appropriate steps against this unconstitutional action.”

It is not yet clear which parties – apart from the PUK and Jalal Talabani – Barzani meant, but he is moving in the right direction. If Barzani has already consulted with the Kurdish parliament and the opposition parties, then it is time to altogether put an end to Al-Maliki’s dictatorial ambitions which he has not concealed since he came to power for a second term.

Interestingly, Weekly Awene reported that Kurdistan Peshmarga forces have already started forming a special force, “Hamreen Operations Command”, in response to the “Dijla Operations Command”. Here Maliki is leading Iraq to an ethnic escalation between Kurds and Arabs. If he wants to invigorate his clout within Arab nationalist entities by collaborating with former Ba’athist military generals like Dijla chief Abu Zaydi, Kurds will also announce a nationalistic force under the name of a mountain which is the border between Arab and Kurd areas in Iraq. Certainly, if we are united, Dijla will never climb on Hamreen!

Democrat Arabs in Iraq should speak out against Al-Maliki. Iraqi people need stability and peace. They are immensely in need of coexistence. It is absurd that there are still some Arabs who do not accept a Kurdish status within a Federal Iraq. We never want violence. All the people of Iraq – Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens, Christians etc. – have been victim of the consequences of wars sparked by Iraq’s political leaders. But Kurds have sacrificed thousands of people for their land, and they can never accept living in Iraq without Kirkuk.

It is time for Kurds to wake up to be united in Iraq. Maliki has exploited the differences between Talabani and Barzani on the one hand, and the public’s disagreement with the ruling KDP and PUK on the other. We should open our eyes and see the situation.

Still our Peshmerge forces are not united. It’s a big shame on the ruling Kurdish parties that the KRG still doesn’t have a Peshmerge force and instead there are separate KDP and PUK security and Peshmerge forces.

All in all, we all should be united to put an end to Maliki’s dictatorial ambitions. Meantime, we should not forget to make radical reforms. I am afraid that the two ruling parties may use Maliki’s dictatorial initiatives as a kind of excuse to delay these reforms. The Kurdish leadership should know that delaying reforms is our crucial point of weakness.

Copyright © 2012 Kurdistantribune.com

4 Responses to Let’s stop Maliki: ‘Dijla’ cannot climb ‘Hamreen’
  1. Ari Ali
    November 14, 2012 | 14:36

    let us focus on authentic and genuine , as oppose to fake , kurdish problem in this order : stop PUK/KDP 50:50 politics , stop masood/jalal dictatorship , stop barzani family illegal business empire , stop masrur of inheriting his father position . Find a job for the unemployed youth , build affordable houses . Stop pliticians from profiteering from their positions . In short you need a revolution on , the enemy is with in .

  2. P
    November 16, 2012 | 19:50

    Maliki the dictator tried invade kirkuk but brave peshmerga fought back and killed 1 and injured 10 baathist. Its time for independence war against chauvinist Iraq, we sort out domestic problems afters.

  3. S. Omar
    November 17, 2012 | 15:05

    Al-Maliki the ***quasi-Baathist***? What are you smoking, brother?! More like: the quasi-Iranian envoy to Iraq!!!

    Four enemies to people within the Iraqi borders:

    – PUK
    – KDP
    – Iran
    – Israel
    – the USA
    – International conglomerates…

    Oops, sorry, that’s more than four isn’t it, even though the list could go on.

    From that only one thing can be concluded: ordinary, innocent civilians are the victims of the powers that be. They work the proles up into a frenzy and make them fight amongst themselves, following which the powers laugh at the proles and toast the victory with champagne and counting their money, congratulating one another on their deceiving the man in the street.

    All these military operations and fear-mongering stories get us all nowhere. In two years’ time, we’ll have forgotten about this particular rift because there’ll be some other distraction on the table. Mark my words.

    • p
      November 17, 2012 | 18:19

      S Omar, if all the kurdish parties and neihbouring countries are enemy then who is left? Do you want kurds to pacify and obey their masters maliki, erdogan an kamenei? Do you want establish islamic califh? Or maybe anarchy? The reality is will never reach utopi where everyone is rich and nice, in reality you have to pick the least bad option. Utopi and dreams and communism failed with the fall of soviet union.

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