I have decided to sleep until "Ashti" arrives..I beleive "Amal" is still there to support me.
I usually talk during my sleep. So I might do that here too.
Meanwhile, check out the other Kurdistani blogs for more updates from Kurdistan while I am taking a nap.

Words:
Ashti = (Peace) in Kurdish
Amal = (Hope) in Arabic.

Who is behind this ?
I can't believe it.....The number of people who are trying to create civil wars in Kurdistan & Iraq are very huge..

On the top of the list, the democratic repubic of Turkey. Fayrouz (Iraqi Chaldean if I'm not wrong) sent me this to read.

To those who want to see us killing each other, especially that neighbouring democratic country, it won't happen. Never ever never ! The walls are everywhere ! so start smashing your heads on them.

I think it is time to have this image as a banner all over the country.




Direct Link to see the image

I spent half an hour writing something about Tell Afar but when I pressed Publish Post it gave me an error page. Now I can't find it. FINE BLOGGER.COM ! You took away my post. I am off.

Najma is jelous because her cousin Raghda is in Kurdistan on vacation and she has to take care of her newborn nephew :(

Najma, imagine swimming here.

Before the war, the Iraqi government (Saddam) wouldn't allow any Arabs (or those who weren't born in Sulaimania, Duhok or Erbil (Hawler) to enter Kurdistan.

After the war, tourism business has boosted in Kurdistan. During the summer, all the hotels were very very busy (and still).
Before the war, Kurds used to visit Baghdad for vacations or for treatment. After the war, Kurds don't dare to approach Baghdad (despite that some people still go for treatments or visiting families, but not like before the war).


This US soldier describes Kurdistan as "North California". I have never seen California but I guess I know what it looks like now.

Don't also forget to have a burger at our local Madonal (Not McDoland) ;)

P.S. condolences for the victims of 11-Sep-2001 in USA and 11-Sep-1961 in Koya-Kurdistan (The photos are from a US soldier's photoblog THANK YOU .

Where is the Kurdistan border?
I have noticed that most people don't know the borders of Kurdistan (I am talking about Iraqi Kurdistan) . Well, when you drive from Baghdad towards North, you just drive in a straight line. When you have to turn your wheels because of the geography of the region (not just for fun), that is the borders of Kurdistan. That location is around Hamreen Mountain, which is also part of the Zagros Mountains.


In Kirkuk, Iraq`s property claims commission for disputed land in oil-rich northern Iraq has failed to process a single claim, despite more than 167,400 people re-settling in dozens of refugee camps since March alone, a US commander said.
Are these people liberated ?! It is now officially One year and 4 months since it was declared that "Iraqis are liberated". Anyways, these people don't feel liberated at all. There are more than 100 000 living in tents while their original houses are being occupied in Kirkuk.

A nice incident from Khanaqeen (Also Oil-rich and was subjected to the Arabisation campaign), Khanaqeen was originally part of Kirkuk, but because Kurds make up the majority, the Iraqi government removed it from the borders of Kirkuk governate and gave it to Diyala governate. So despite liberations Khanaqeen is still part of Diyala.
Anyways, the mayor of Diyala (Known to be a nationalist Arab), held a meeting with the people of Khanaqeen yesterday. He was insisiting on the return of the Arab settlers to Khanaqeen (whom Saddam brought to Khanaqeen since 1963 to 2003 to turn it into an Arab city), he faced a feirce resistance from the people of the town.

He said "Please, winter is coming, what should they do? " One of the town people asked "So there is no place in whole Iraq for those settlers apart from Khanaqeen ?! Why not let them go to their original houses in south Iraq ?! The Diyala Mayor went speechless. Yeah Democracy Rocks !

These Arab settlers don't even consider themsleves to be from Khanaqeen. They don't bury their deads in Khanaqeen, but they will take them to south Iraq. So I think they were just being used as tools in the Arabisation campaign. Most of them are innocents being used as pawns against other innocents. Why not let things go back to normal ?!

Woman Activist Chooses to be Wife Number 3...My views on the Iraqi President & Minister marriage.



This news was some kind of started as a rumour in Kurdistan a while ago, but one of the news websites have actually confirmed the Iraqi presidential marriage.
Now the Kurdish newspaper ASO has confirmed the marriage. Ayad Allawi, the Iraqi PM, was the witness of honour.
Now a few backgrounds on the groom & bride. The groom (Ghazi Al-Yawar, Iraqi president) has 2 wives and and has 4 children and is 46.

Nesrine Barwari, is graduated from Harvard University and is 34(according to IslamOnline and 38 according to ASO) , she is a women activist.
Now here is the debate, how can a women activist accept to be the third wife ? This sounds like a communist going to mosque, or a Jihadist listening to Rock & Roll.

Nesrin Barwari is a feminist, she has fought hard to get more women's rights in the Iraqi constitution. But now she blows it all by accepting to be a third wife.

Ladies and gentlemen, all I have to say to Iraqi Women is, God Help You ! Your defender has married to a man with not just a wife, but a double. So make up your own minds !

I wonder what can you do with 3 wives ! ;)

Update :
Iraqi President Marries Third Wife (he already has 2, now this is the third)

World of Confusion

Sorry guys Izzat Duri is not captured "Yet" (I love that "Yet") .
A series of mis-information is hitting Iraq right now. First Izzat Duri, now there are rumours that the current Iraqi President (Ghazi Al-Yawar) and Public Works Minister (Nesrin Barwari) have got married.
Water levels in Dukan & Darbandikhan Lakes have decreased by %40. This means electricity for Sulaimani city will decrease by %50 from today (12 hours a day now). I just don't know why an oil-rich coutry like this should depend on water for electricity. Burn that oil.

For Kirkuk news, this website, which almost looks like a blog, could be very useful. (Updated daily)

Izzat Duri Captured !


I know it is very late, but there are rumours going around that Izzat Duri has been captured. I have no confirmation but several Iraqi websites qoute Iraqi officials confirming that the Ice Man is captured.

Congratulations all Iraqis !

Hope it is true. Back to sleep now.

Update

Yes it was true ! I just saw the reports now on Al-Jazeera & Al-Arabia. I heard about this yesterday evening but I thought it was a rumour. I stayed up till late watching Al-Jazeera & Al-Arabia etc but there was no news. I found that site that I posted earlier.

Who said we have no friends ?

Gerald A. Honigman writes:


Regardless, while Dr. Rice was delivering her words of wisdom regarding the necessity of creating a 22nd or 23rd state for Arabs in the region (second--not first--Arab one within the original 1920 borders Mandatory Palestine) at the Institute of Peace, she totally shot down questions relating to Kurdish fears, anxieties, and aspirations in Iraq. Here’s some of what she had to say about those Arab aspirations, however:

"The President believes that the Palestinian people deserve not merely their own state, but a just and democratic state that serves their interests and fulfills their decent aspirations."
Despite the bloodshed and turmoil in the Arab areas of Iraq; despite the fact that hundreds of thousands of Kurds have been killed by Iraqi and other Arabs over the decades; despite the fact that the Kurds have been marked as traitors because of their close ties to America; despite the fact that the most stable and democratic areas in Iraq are in the Kurdish areas...indeed, despite all of this and more, Dr. Rice brushed off a question regarding a Kurdish referendum on independence (which showed that at least 80% of the Kurds wanted this) with the following disdain:

"...It’s the role of leadership to convince people that they really ought to stay in the same body."


A sickening disgrace.


Arabs' aspirations for another state in Palestine "despite having another 22" are legitimate. But unfortunately ladies and gentlemen, ours are not.

Two more Nepalis killing photos

I have 2 more photos of the terrorist mass-killing of the innocent Nepalis. Yesterday I looked at the Ansar Al-Sunnah website and I found the photos. I have saved about 5 on my PC, because I knew that CIA dudes will close down their website. But I had a feeling that we had to expose these terrorists. The world should see the actions of these monsters and we must be determined in terminating them.

The unhumanity of these people must be exposed. Dilnareen says today :

I would seriously like to know when turbans became a substitute for brains, and why instead of spending years exploring theology we just need to put on some rags and suddenly change into purveyors of religion.
Graphic Photos Beware :

I read the comments section, and some people were against publishing the photos, and some were with it, but majority were with the photos...so if you don't want to see these photos, please click here now...



They beheaded this innocent man and.....



shot the rest....

Sad News : 12 Nepalis are beheaded !

I just read on one of the Ansar Al-Sunnah websites that the 12 Nepal nationals have been beheaded. My eyes are in tears and my hands are shaking as I write this. This mass-killing of 12 innocent men and women is another crime of the terrorists in Iraq.

I won't publish their website so that I won't promote terrorists. This two of their photos (I have changed the URL addresses ) GRAPHIC PHOTOS BEWARE






God bless them, and God punish these terrorist monsters.

A bunch of new blogs.

Jeff from HumanRaceWatch has very interesting posts, I will definitely will keep an eye on it to update myself on the American elections.

Simko, a new Kurdish blogger has started blogging from Sulaimani (or Sulaymania), probably you have never heard about this city. But currently this city can be described as "Paris" in Kurdistan and (Iraq). (now some of you might laugh & say "If that is your Paris then God help you" but hey give us some time please)


Rick Sackette a director of a NGO (Non-Governmental Organisation) has started his blog. He is now back in USA, and he has a very good post on the "Media Abuse".

Delal, from TurkishDelight, is a Kurdish girl living in USA. I have been reading her posts for a while. She hasn't blogged since she has found a "Sex Phone" job on 18th of August. ( I bet you Americans will start dialing now ;) Thanks God men in Kurdistan don't spend their money on things like that "Yet". But as long as Delal can finish her 71 calls to make enough money for her teeth, I wish her all the good luck. (I find her posts funny..keep it up delal)
We have something like these kind of "Chat Up Lines". But they are somehow face to face (even better) !! We call them "The Gypsies"...They are young girls and go around from one shop to another, and ask men to let them tell their future. The girls make naughty comments and some men like it, dunno what is so fun about that...

Well..Don't ask me about prices... I have never asked. :)

A question for the Americans

I want to make this very short, I have heard that the number of the US soldiers loss in Iraq is much higher than the actual figure given out by the Pentagon.
Apparently, those deads who have "American Green Cards" don't count in the official Pentagon death-toll because they are not Americans "Yet".

(I heard this from an Egyptian guy on Al-Jazeera who acts like he knows everything. His name is (Haykal) and his programme is called (With Haykal).

So, if someone in USA has a green card, can he/she join the US army and fight in Iraq/Afghanistan etc ?


Second thought, I have always thought that USA support people's wills. Or in other terms, leaders do what their people want to do. But, it seems that the USA wants "people to do what their leaders want to do"...Very nice democracy indeed !

Read Condoleezza Rice comments when she answered a clever journalist :

Q I'm wondering how you reconcile the statement you just made about the Kurds with the fact that in January, 1.7 million people in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, which is about 80 percent of the adults, signed a petition asking for a vote on independence -- and, obviously, anybody who signed the petition was in favor of that. ?

DR. RICE: Well, first of all, as to the Kurds, I would just note that such referenda on independence have taken place in lots of places, including, for instance, Canada to our north. And it has been the role of leadership to convince people that they really ought to stay in the same body.

On Najaf & Sistani & Sader
I would say to a country which is being ruled by a bearded Ayatollah (GO TO HELL YOU BASTARD). Four weeks and a government couldn't solve the issue of Najaf. But an Ayatollah solved the issue in 4 minutes.
Also, Muqtada has a court of himself where he kills whoever he wants. Are we going to see Muqtada infornt of the so called (Iraqi-Justice) ?

Interesting.

Kurdistan's Democracy

I have received several emails to show their concern about my earlier post regarding the democracy situation in Kurdistan.
First, some good news. Kurdistan Parliament has decided to hold elections for Kurdistan one week earlier before the Iraqi general elections, and this should mean (hopefully) that the mafia-like control of KDP & PUK should end. Meaning that hopefully a true democratic government in Kurdistan to be elected.

I would like to make some clarifications about my earlier post regarding the Kurdish democracy. The Kurdish political parties are not like the war-lords in Afghanistan. They are somehow modern, and beleive in civil adminstratonis, they believe in modernisations, but their democracy is different from the democracy that ordinary Kurds want, the democracy in Europe. (Or in other words, 21st century mafias).

Many Kurds are impressed by Europe, this is because nearly every Kurd have at least someone (if not 5 to 10 people) in Europe or abroad. These European Kurds visit Kurdistan every year. They bring back their ideas and thoughts and implement them in Kurdistan. There are some Kurds who have come back to resettle in Kurdistan (i.e. Kardox who has spent 15 years in Europe)

Now this has made ordinary Kurds demand true democracy, not some mafia-like control by KDP or PUK.
These two parties are now making reforms, epsecially PUK, but I think there are still miles away from the model-European styles. But a journey of 1000 miles start with a step.

Here are some of the nasty looks of PUK & KDP :

1) PUK daily (Kurdistani Newi), has Talabani's photo on the frontpage, almost everyday. KDP is the same with Massoud Barzani in Xabat, nearly everyday (some days they run out of photos are guess).

Khabat Image click here.

Kurdistani Newi Image click here

2) Talabani & Barzani have a governmental order to have their picutres in all schools and governmental buildings.
(Photo courtesy of Sulaimania University)

(What a nasty photo to start a day with, Gee, can't they find a photo of a pretty girl or something ;) )

Barzani & Talabani have employed their families in top posts. Barzani in the first place.
Barzani clans are :
1. President of KDP (Massoud Barzani)
2. Prime Minister of Kurdistan Government (Nechirvan Barzani, Massoud's nephew)
3. Iraqi Foreign Ministry (Hoshyar Zebari, Massoud's cousin).
4. Member of the KDP leadership council, Masrur Barzani, (Massoud's son)
5. Saywan Barzani, Kurdistan Regional Government's representative in Europe (Massoud's cousin).
and the list goes on.

Al-Iraqiya TV : The Arab lions (Iraq) reach the last 4 in Athens

BBC : Iraq was carved out of the Ottoman provinces of Mosul, Baghdad and Basra

I have been following the Iraqi olympics team since the start of the qualifications. So I have almost watched every single match since their qualifications stages.

I was very happy yesterday to see Iraq beating Austuralia. I was watching the match with some friends. We were happy and nervous, but this is what happened..

The commentator on the US-installed television (Al-Iraqiya) repeated contiously several times "Iraq, the lions of Arabs & Asia are doing great" ....

We didn't say nothing until the end of the match...My friend said "Maybe this guy is from Fallujah or whatever" ..At the end of the match, when all the stress was gone, we turned to Al-Sharqiya (another Iraqi TV based in Iraq & Dubai) , there is a veteran Iraqi football expert. His name is "Muayaad Badri". He has been presenting sports news since the dark ages. (He was also used to teach in Baghdad's universities.)

He also repeated the same line.. "Weldone Arabs, we are the lions in Athens"...

We switched off the TV and played some music and started a discussion. The subject was "Is Iraq Arabic ?"
It was a long discussion, especially when you have a drink in your hand, and we came to this conlcusion :

Yes Iraq is Arabic..We can not force Arabs in Iraq to say that their country is not Arabic..Yes they are Arabs, and we like it or not, they will call their country Arabic, and we as Kurds cant' do much about it. We should NOT be winning (Oh Iraq is not Arabic) , we should be saying "Look dudes, yes Iraq is Arabic, but Kurdistan is not. You take your Arabic Iraq, and we take our Kurdistan".

Here we will go back to what it went wrong (Source BBC website)

1918 - After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, British forces occupy the oil-rich Ottoman vilayet (province) of Mosul (current Iraqi Kurdistan) , bringing extensive Kurdish-populated areas under British rule.

1919 - Mosul area is added to the new Iraqi state, which comes under a British mandate.

Read the BBC's TimeLine for Iraqi Kurds. We have a long history for demanding independence don't we ?! ;-)