A general view of Dukan Resort, where three American hikers were last seen, near Sulaimaniyah, 260 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Aug. 3, 2009. Iranian authorities have given no word on three Americans detained after reportedly wandering across the border with Iraq last week during a hike in the Iraqi Kurdish region. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)
There are free elections being conducted in the region. It explains much of the violence there.
Kurdish Candidates in Iraq Campaign in Final Hours before Election (click here)
By Edward Yeranian Cairo
24 July 2009
...A number of independent parties are also competing in the election to determine the composition of Kurdistan's 111-seat parliament, and its next president. Challengers to the two main parties stand to gain seats, but appear unlikely to gain a majority....
The USA has no right to interfer. The USA will only propagate violence. Troops home now!
Iraq May Hold Vote On U.S. Withdrawal (click title to entry - thank you)
As American Focus Turns to North, Troops Could Be Forced to Leave Early
BAGHDAD, Aug. 17 -- U.S. troops could be forced by Iraqi voters to withdraw a year ahead of schedule under a referendum the Iraqi government backed Monday, creating a potential complication for American commanders concerned about rising violence in the country's north....
... The Maliki government's announcement came on the day that the top U.S. general in Iraq proposed a plan to deploy troops to disputed areas in the restive north, a clear indication that the military sees a continuing need for U.S. forces even if Iraqis no longer want them here....
U.S. troops may be sent to Iraq's Arab-Kurdish 'trigger line' (click here)
...Their goal, he said, would be to build trust between Iraqi security forces representing the Baghdad government and Kurdish militia answerable to the Kurdish regional government at a time when an increase in bombings attributed to the militant group Al Qaeda in Iraq has sent tensions between the two administrations soaring....
Pentagon 'very nervous' about Arab-Kurdish feud (click here)
By Adam EntousWASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Tuesday it was "very nervous" about ethnic tensions in Iraq between Arabs and Kurds despite initial talks between their leaders, and a top U.S. commander warned the feud over land and oil could still turn violent.
While the sectarian fighting that nearly ripped Iraq apart has died down, the row between northern Iraq's largely autonomous Kurdistan region and its Shi'ite Arab-led government in Baghdad is seen by Washington as one of the greatest threats to the country's fragile stability....
Iraq's Kurdish Government Negotiating Cabinet Posts; Kurdish Forces Accused of Torture (click here)
...Asayeesh Reported to Torture Prisoners
Chawder newspaper reported that according to a report published by the Ministry of Human Rights for April, May, and June 2009, the Kurdish secret police, Asayeesh, in Bardarash Sub-district used torture against four prisoners. In related news, Rozhnama newspaper reported that one prisoner was beaten by four police officers at the Sulaimanyah Police Station. Also Rudaw newspaper reported that the Youth Empowerment Organization published a report, in which it said that police and Asayeesh are still using torture against prisoners in many forms from assault to rape. The report added that human trafficking is present in Kurdistan Region....
These are local crimes. This has nothing to do with war. The local authorities have to solve their own problems. It would appear as though the Iraqis have many 'rights' organizations policing their government and prisons.
Regional tensions are not new.
Turkey marks 25 years of Kurd rebellion (click here)
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA (AP) – 3 days ago
ISTANBUL — Turkey marked 25 years Saturday since the first Kurdish rebel attacks, with political leaders calling for reconciliation, though the government has yet to offer a new plan for ending the conflict.
Fighting has died down since the 1990s, but the Kurdish conflict remains a drag on Turkey's drive to modernity and an obstacle to the country's joining the European Union.
The fighting began on Aug. 15, 1984, when separatist rebels attacked police and military units in the southeastern towns of Eruh and Semdinli before fleeing to bases in northern Iraq.
Since then, some 40,000 people have died as the rebels seek autonomy for Kurds concentrated in Turkey's southeast.
Kurdish activists held a festival Saturday in Eruh, where extra security forces were deployed.
Speakers appealed for peace, and crowds listened to traditional music at an open-air concert.
Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin called for reconciliation with the country's Kurdish minority.
"I see a great advantage in putting aside all prejudice," he said on Turkish television, dismissing nationalist claims that allowing Kurds to have more rights would "divide Turkey."...
Arrest of US hikers mars Iraqi Kurd tourism boom (click here)
By YAHYA BARZANJI and ERIC TALMADGE (AP) – Aug 4, 2009
SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq — In Iraq's Kurdish region where three American hikers fell into Iranian custody, the attractions for intrepid hikers and travelers are many. Visitors shop for crystal glasses and enjoy long walks in lush mountain resorts renowned for their pistachio groves.
Safety is a big selling point — tourism promoters boast not a single foreigner has been killed or kidnapped since 2003.
Still, in a region without a well-marked border, going off the beaten path in Kurdistan is very risky — as the three Americans discovered after they apparently wandered down the wrong side of a mountain last week and were taken into custody by Iranian border guards. Other than a frantic call to one of their friends, they haven't been heard from since.
The three — Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Joshua Fattal — were under arrest in Iran on Tuesday for illegally entering the country, and an Iranian lawmaker said that authorities were deciding whether to accuse them of spying. The U.S. State Department rejected the allegation, and relatives and Kurdish officials said they were merely hikers who got lost. The case is the latest source of friction with Washington at a time of political crisis in Iran.
Kurdish tourism officials are trying to keep the incident from drying up a budding business with the West....
