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Iraqi Kurds express joy as Turkey ends
incursion of Kurdistan
1.3.2008
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March 1, 2008
QARAWOLA, Kurdistan region 'Iraq', -- Iraqi
Kurdish villagers expressed joy at the end of
Turkey's eight-day military operation inside
Kurdistan region 'northern Iraq' on Saturday, but
many said they were worried that Ankara's soldiers
could return.
"Thank God! They withdrew their troops from our
soil," said Esmail Kojer, 73, at his farm near the
village of Qarawola, a mere 100 metres (yards) from
the Iraqi Kurdistan-Turkey border.
The village,www.ekurd.net
known for its almonds,
grapes and citrus trees, is home to 70 Iraqi Kurdish
families. Family members hugged each other in joy as
news of the Turkish withdrawal spread.
On Friday the Turkish military announced the
end of its incursion
in the mountains of Kurdistan 'northern Iraq',
launched on
February 21 and aimed at flushing out rebels from
the Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from the
area.
The ground offensive was the second launched by
Ankara in three months targeting PKK guerrillas who
have been fighting for a self-rule in southeastern
Turkey since 1984.
"The last thing we need in this country is Turkish
troops staying for a long time," Kojer told AFP. "We
have suffered the most from the devastation caused
by Turkey... suffered from its tyranny, and we are
fed up with its presence."
Other Qarawola villagers echoed Kojer's view.
"Thank God they left
voluntarily," said Mateen Berwaryi, a Kurdish
peshmerga. "Otherwise we would have thrown them off
our soil. We do not want our land to be occupied by
anyone," he added.
"The Turks must solve this problem peacefully and
not through force. History is the proof that force
does not help resolve problems -- it only
complicates them."
He attributed Ankara's decision to pull out its
troops to sustained pressure from Washington.
"The US does not want to complicate the situation in
Iraq. This is the only safe place in Iraq," Berwari
said.
Shirin Sendi, 28, a teacher in the village's only
primary school, could not control her joy at the
news, since the steady fighting and explosions in
the region had scared her students.
"My students used to hide under the tables whenever
there were explosions. You have no idea how happy I
am. I can't describe my feelings as I too was
terrified," she said.
"It is awful when you can feel the battle near you,www.ekurd.net
people are dying and yet
you have to continue as if nothing is happening. I
am so happy to see these soldiers leaving in their
tanks."
"We felt the same way under Saddam's regime but
never imagined the Turks would assume that power in
the future," she said, referring to Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein who was ousted by the US-led invasion
in 2003.
The villagers remain cautious, however, and fear
that the Turkish soldiers could attack again.
"Turkey and its troops are not far away. They are
just behind these mountains and ready to attack us,"
said Oumid Ashit, gesturing towards the snow-filled
hilltops.
"I hope Turkey solves this problem and accepts the
rights of Kurds. They must give them their rights.
They are their sons. They will only held rebuild
their country."
AFP
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