The U.S. authorities are giving their full support to the Kurds who are seeking to control Iraq's oil wealth at any cost in order to establish their so-called 'great Kurdistan'. To realize their goal, the Kurdish militias continuously terrorize the other Iraqi communities in the north of Iraq. The Turkmens who are Iraq's third largest community are facing increasing threats in their region, Turkmeneli. Because they refuse the Kurdish hegemony in their region, they continue to be the victims of intimidations, detentions, kidnappings and assassinations and their cities are raided by the Kurdish militias.

In a series of attacks on Turkmen cities to terrify the inhabitants, two more Turkmen cities have recently been raided by the U.S. supported Kurdish militias.

Daquq

On 4.3.2007, at 4:30 am about twenty masked Kurdish militants belonging to the KDP party, (called Asayish) coming from outside the Kerkuk region entered the Turkmen sub-district of Daquq, 45 Km south of Kerkuk City. These masked Kurds were shooting in the air to scare the people as they broke randomly into several houses.

Taze Khurmatu

At midnight on 25.2.2007, the Kurdish Asayish militants supported by American troops entered the Turkmen city of Taze Khurmatu, located 15 Km south of Kerkuk, where they raided several houses.

The doors were broken, the furniture were scattered and damaged and the children were extremely frightened. Mobile phones were confiscated and money and gold were stolen. The oil tanks were destroyed. Fathers and sons were tied up and brutally beaten and kicked in front of their family. The fathers were threatened and weapons were put against their heads in front of their terrified children.

Several young peaceful Turkmen intellectuals from al-Asriya quarter in Daquq and three other youths from Taze Khurmatu were arrested and were taken to an unknown location. The local police in Daquq was never informed about the raid by the authorities.

It is worth noting that:

• No violent incidents had taken place in the neighbourhoods which were raided by the Kurds
• With the exception of a few licensed weapons, no weapons were found in the raided houses

The men who were taken from Taze Khurmatu were shown the next day on Kerkuk Television which is administered by the Kurds and presented as 'terrorists'

Iraqi Turkmen Human Rights Research Foundation