Commenting on the latest atrocities against the Kurds by the Arab terrorists
in Kirkuk and Mosul, Barzani and Talabani warned that they will not stay
silent while those crimes are unfolding daily
Now, with Mosul threatening to turn to chaos after most of the city's 4,000
police deserted, the Kurds are again proving staunch allies. "They're well-organised,
fierce and get the job done," said Captain Robert Lackey, a company
commander with the U.S. Stryker Brigade, which is responsible for northern
Iraq.
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News Snapshot
Talabani, Barzani and have revealed that they have reached an agreement with
Iraqi political parties to postpone elections
in Kirkuk which was
planned to be held next January until the issue of Kurdish settlement
resolved.
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Turkish FM Gul criticized Talabani and Barzani for their demand that local
elections in Kirkuk be postponed until the issue of Kurdish settlement
resolved. "They are not the ones who will decide. They might have some
demands as Iraqi citizens; however, they cannot decide when elections will
take place. There is a council in Iraq and it will decide on it. That the
election is held on a designated date is crucial."
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Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan told US Vice President Cheney that the
operation against terrorists in Falluja has caused outrage in Turkey and the
Muslim world, reported Turkish Daily News yesterday.
American warplanes flew over Arab parts of the city, and some units of the
American Task Force Olympia ventured out of their base on patrol. An
insurgent unit crossed over to the mainly Kurdish west of Mosul and attacked
offices of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Three of the four
attackers were killed, and the fourth was wounded.
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"The
Peshmergas captured five and killed eight," Mr Piri said. "The five captured
did not carry identity cards, so we do not know yet whether they are Iraqi."
The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Saleh, said the rebels were trying "to
destabilise Mosul" and "to prevent elections" scheduled for January.
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Thousands Protest Killing of Kurdish Boy In
Northern Kurdistan
ISTANBUL, Dec 11 (AFP) - 15h03 -
About 2,000 people gathered in downtown Istanbul on Saturday to protest the
killing of a 12-year-old Kurdish boy by Turkish security forces in controversial
circumstances three weeks ago.
Beating drums and tambourines, the demonstrators formed a human chain stretching
for about one kilometer on Istanbuls main pedestrian street, Istiklal
Boulevard.
"At the age of twelve, we have the right to live," read banners the protestors
hanged on their necks.
Ugur Kaymaz and his father were shot dead by police outside their house in the
southeastern town of Kiziltepe on November 21, in what local authorities
described as an operation against armed terrorists from a rebel Kurdish group.
The killings unleashed a public outcry and prompted authorities to launch an
official inquiry as human rights campaigners and parliament members who probed
the incident suggested that the boy and his father were most likely unarmed
civilians, gunned down either by mistake or in a summary execution.
Respect for human rights has become a key concern for Turkey as the countrys
bid to join the European Union has entered a crucial stage.
Four police officers who took part in the raid have been suspended from office.
The Anatolia news agency reported Saturday that the administrative head of the
town was also shifted to a post in another province.
