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Kurds build an island of calm in Iraq's
inferno
13.8.2007
By Zvi Bar'el
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August
13, 2007
Sulaimaniyah, Kurdistan region (Iraq), --
Unlike many other Iraqi cities, Erbil, the capital
of Iraqi Kurdistan, has seen very few terrorist
attacks since civil war broke out following the U.S.
liberation in 2003 and the subsequent execution of
Saddam, Iraq's former dictator.
The Kurdish area, located in the north, relies on
its defense forces to keep it that way.
In Kurdistan, people still walk through the streets
and go to shops with little fear of the lethal car
bombings that afflict the rest of the country.
Foreigners are not an uncommon sight. The Kurdish
city of Sulaimaniyah, for example, is quite calm
despite its proximity to the inferno in Mosul. Nor
is it far away from Kirkuk, whose streets are
regularly ripped apart by explosions.
The Iraqi Civil Defense Corps commander for one of
the quarters of Erbil made one simple request at the
start of our conversation. |
Zvi Bar'el |
"Don't call me a
'security officer.' The word 'security' is enough to
make peoples' skins crawl around here. It reminds
them of Saddam Hussein's days in power: torture
cellars and arrests. I am serving the public by
protecting them, and that's the way I wish to be
described."
From Sulaimaniya, families go on holidays to nearby
Azmar Mountain. There, they barbecue meat, make
salads, have beers and enjoy the sun. Each family
pulls over by the road to admire the view. The
atmosphere is quite calm; no nervous honks disturb
the still of the Friday afternoon. The revelers stay
late, untouched by the sectarian flames that are
engulfing the rest of their country.
I arranged to interview a senior official in the
Kurdistan Regional Government, who wished to remain
anonymous. "We have problems with the Arabs," he
explained his request for anonymity. "Egypt, Jordan
and the Palestinians are allowed to speak to the
Israelis, but not us: They immediately accuse us of
treason. 'The other Israel,' that's how they call
us."
When I asked how the government managed to
disassociate the region from the violence and
establish an island of peace there, the official
replied that it is all about people. "The people
themselves are our security, and I don't mean just
the security forces, but the whole Kurdish people.
We all act as scouts, informers, inspectors and
watchmen, because we realize that our lives depend
on it."
Later, I toured Erbil with Heiman, an official from
the Foreign Relations Department. Before we visited
Erbil's Jewish quarter, Heiman warned me about
taking pictures. "There are lots of undercover
policemen around, and we don't want them asking
questions. Also, be careful not to take pictures of
women," he instructed me.
A veteran Kurdistani intelligence official told me
how the regional government protects Erbil from
suicide bombers. It is a simple solution, almost
medieval, but it seems to be working. "Erbil is
flat, and has access roads leading to it from all
directions. So we went ahead with a simple solution:
We dug a moat around the city, 91 kilometers in
diameter. We made it three meters wide and three
meters deep, so no car can get into the city unless
it takes the regulated roads."
The intelligence operative compared the Kurdish
solution for Erbil to Israel's barrier for stopping
suicide bombers. "You guys built a protective wall
that everybody can see and make a fuss about. We dug
our moat in two months; it's not as conspicuous and
it's much more effective."
And what about the land owners? Legal battles?
Compensation issues? "The people who owned the land
we needed to expropriate for the moat volunteered
their plots. They know it's needed for their
security."
But the moat is not the only security measure
barring the way of potential terrorists. All
non-Kurds who wish to enter Kurdistan need a Kurd to
vouch for them. Otherwise, they are refused
entrance. Those who vouch for visitors must call the
security forces in advance and inform them of the
purpose of the visit and the visitor's identity.
Even then, visitors are subject to strict
inspection.
The intelligence official told of cases in which
wives informed security about their husbands, or
parents told the police they suspected their
children of terrorist activity. "We're like that
when it comes to security. It's something that runs
through our veins, like with you Israelis," he
explained.
Security, however, comes at a price. Defense guzzles
up a significant portion of Kurdistan's budget,
which is comprised of 17 percent of the Iraqi
government's revenues. Moreover, the separation from
the rest of the Iraqi population, a move dictated by
security requirements, has in many respects
effectively severed Kurdistan from Iraq. Washington
is probably the only place in the world where Iraq
is referred to as a single entity.
haaretz com
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