Comments on: Kurdistan: The Other Iraq

Bob Simon On How The Kurds Are Reshaping Northeastern Iraq

[sunhero]

Why did 60 Minutes reporter Bob Simon not ask the Kurds or their PM Barzani the real question rather than sugar code his report with new building and shopping centers. Assyrians are the indigenous people of Iraq and they have lived there for over 7000 years and Kurds who just migrated to Northern Iraq from Iran in the late 1800%u2019s and all the sudden want to claim ASSYRIA a nationhood of Kurdistan, never in their lifetime will this happen and they know it too. Kurds are usurping all lands owned by ASSYRIANS aka ChaldoAssyrianSuryani in the North. Their ethnic cleansing operation resembles ones Saddam launched in the 80%u2019s and they%u2019re getting away with it too because American Troops are too busy fighting insurgency in the south. My advices to Simone the next time you conduct an interview with these usurpers check the history of the land first and ask questions later and only then you will know who the kurds really are.

All I have to say is however thankful I am that this story was broadcasted, I noticed it was a favorable report orchestrated by CBS news giving some credit to the Bush administration. Why don't they interview more people in "war torn" Iraq who too are also thankful that Pres. Bush Liberated them from Saddam. There must be a few somewhere out there in Iraq. The report would read the US did it and not Pres Bush.

[hozankapri]

I am not a fan of the PKK, but Pkk started its Campaign in 1984. Turkey has been opressing Kurds for Centuries. Most Turkmens whom many are Kurdish soldiers of the former ottoman empire yet asimliated are supporting the Kurds. Those Kurds that have come back to kirkuk are refugees. Saddam kicked out almost three hundred thousand Kurds from Kirkuk, now they are coming back.Most Turkmens that have been kicked out by Saddam have also returned with the help of the Kurds. Who restored the Turkmen village of Bashir? We Kurds did it for you guys. Turkey uses the Turkmens to counter Kurdish aspirations. When Saddam was killing the Turkmens where was Turkey? Who gives Turkmens more freedom, Saddam or kurds? Where did you form many of your organizations freely? In Kurdish territory.who is more free, The "Turkmens" in Kurdistan or kurds in Turkey? until 1991 people were tortured and killed just for speaking Kurdish.Kurdish was outlawed. That is Fascism.Turkish official State ideology is fascism.Kirkuk is Kurdistan and we will be more than happy to help and share it with out Turkem brothers.Even with the Arabs. But it must come back to the motherland. it must come back to Kurdistan.

[neslyhan-2009]

I think that the story was incomplete. The Kurds have been relocating people in Kerkuk so that the Kusrdish votes are more than the Turkmen votes when the refendum happens. The story mentioned that Turkey doesn't want an independent Kurdistan, but failed to explain why. It is beacuse of the PKK terorism that had taken many lives. Everybody knows that they harbor the terorist in northern Irak. But at a time when the US is so desperate to show some good come out of an invasion, they do not want to tell the whole story. Shame on you 60 Minutes, you do not tell the whole story!

[lars008-2009]

Due to the fact that they were constantly rebelling, the Romans had Judaic scholars executed, the sacred scroll burned

obiquital

it might be the muslims turn for that......

[maiingan]

Suggestion: the public discourse, especially by pro journalists, incorporates the example of Nunavut Territory, Canada, to explore the possibilities of the future relationship between Kurtdistan and whatever is left of Iraq. I've tried to input this many times, and it just seems like racism for it to be omitted, as if Nunavut did not exist.

[kurdland-2009]

Dear Bob simon
Since I moved to North America as refugee 1991, I have being in Love with your program 60 minutes. I find it you ( all of you including my favourite Andy! ) being fair in dealing with domestic and international affair.
Having said that your program about KURDISTAN is much over due. at last the American people know through your program about the largest ethnic group in the world who have no country, no freinds BUT mountains.
I like to comment on the Kurdistan regional goverment priminister his excellence Barzani speech, we are as a kurd a peacefu nation, never invaded other peoples land,also we are not going to substitute Israel as USA ally, BUT will be a dependable ally like Saudi, Turkey and Israel for American people.
I have said that since Radical Islamist, arab, Turk and persian Nationalist call Kurd a Zionist, we are not.
We are peaceful people and want peace with all the nations in the region including Palastine and Israel.
I wish 60 minutes all the best and as we said in Kurdish
Bakher ben bo Kurdistan ( welcome to Kurdistan ) and zor supas ( thank you very much )

[h_malki]

I'm a Kurd living in Kurdistan of Iraq in a town called Duhok just down Turkey. I Think that Barzani is not demanding for independency now cuz he'll lose votes, for Turkey contains more Kurds who'll demand for elections over again. and cuz Barzani family is a gang who's robbing people's pockets and making money out of our rights. All the big buildings, master projects, and the fuel stations belong to Barzani family. so why would they declair an independent country while they're having their share of the Iraqi Petrol and selling it with (huge price) to the poor people???

[higbee90803]

A beautiful story on the Kurds and Iraq. If, as the Christian Bible says, the meek shall inherit the earth, then the Kurds will be the next world ruler.

But let's be real; the average American doesn't know a Kurd from a dairy product. The average American barely knows that Jews are not Arabs, and vice versa. To expect the average American to understand that a Kurd is not an Arab is like trying to get us to embrace the metric system; yes, it's important and it is the best thing out there. But will we ever embrace the metric system? Not in my lifetime.

[kurd1-2009]

I am a proud Kurd who is Proud of kurdish-Amarican relationship, Thank you Bob, I would like let Amaricans know that Kurds are very different from Arabs, Turks, Persians in middle east, Kurds Love life. Kurdish mentality is way diferent from Arab mentality, Kurds Love humans, they are soo tight and inlove with nature and are very invironmental friendly people, let me tell you, that not a single Kurd blew him self up for any couse, kurds have been killed in millions, but never ever even thought to attach civilians in revenge. one example to prove this.
in 1974, Iraqi Army jets blew up kurdistan Uneversity of kaladiz killing 300 students. one of the ministers of iraq was informent and secretly working for kurds in iraqi government, the informent came and told the kurdish leader barzni, if barzani permits him, he can set a time bom under saddam husein's chair. Barzani the kurdish leader responded, sure but do you garantee that when the bom goes off, there would not be any civilans around saddam at time?? the informant said no, but I garantee that saddam will be killed, Barzani said to the informent, that is now how Kurdish mentality works, We fight the enamy but not on civilian expense.
This is a typical kurdish mentality, this is how arabs and kurds differntiate. I am very proud to be from a nation that values human rights and dignity. We need Amarica and Amarica needs us.

[saintein]

It was good to see a positive story about Iraq. I understand that outside of Bagdad the situation is very positive. Many military personell report that boredom is a major problem. That is what I remember from my time in the military. Why is that not reported in the mainstream media?

[obiquital]

In 331 BC, the Persian empire fell to Alexander the Great. Israel was not attacked because the Jews told Alexander that he was part of their prophecies. After Alexander died, Israel changed hands between the Seleucids and the Ptolemies.
From 164-63 BC, the Jewish people controlled an area about half the size of Israel in around the same region.
In 63 BC, The Romans took over Israel.
Between 66 AD and 135 AD, the Jews fought three wars with the Romans in an attempt to become independent. They failed all three times. After the third time, 580,000 Jews were killed, 50 fortified towns and 985 villages razed. Due to the fact that they were constantly rebelling, the Romans had Judaic scholars executed, the sacred scroll burned, and the name Judea wiped off the map and renamed, as an insult to the Jews, Palestina which was named after the Philistines who were the ancient enemy of the Jews.
This was slightly changed to Palestine.

In 1948, The State of Israel was created by the UN.

So, I suggest you learn a few things about history before you tell me to read mine.

[obiquital]

"Read you history the jewish people were there long before anyone else.
Posted by davidmonty1 at 06:20 PM : Feb 19, 2007"

p-syrus has gotten to the point of what I was going to say but I will add some more.

The Jewish people came to the land that is now Israel from outside of it. Lets start with the Canaanites who were there from since at least 3000 BC. In around 1200 BC, the Israelites invaded them and took over much of the area. The Canaanites were pushed to the coastal areas and were called Phoenicians by the Greeks (Interestingly, the Phoenicians more or less became the Carthaginians who were later destroyed by the Romans but that has nothing to do with this). The Canaanites tried to get back their land from the Israelites at one point but they lost.
In 721 BC, The Kingdom of Israel (Northern Kingdom) fell to the Assyrians. They sent many Israelites into exile or captivity.
In 586 BC, The Kingdom of Judah (Southern Kingdom) fell to the Babylonians. Jews were either taken as slaves or fled to Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, or Persia.
In 539 BC, the Babylonian empire fell to the Persian empire who ruled all the Babylonian lands including Israel.

[p-syrus]

Read you history the jewish people were there long before anyone else.
Posted by davidmonty1 at 06:20 PM : Feb 19, 2007


READ your history. The Romans exiled the jewish people from palestine in the first century. The majority of the jewish population at the time were dispersed throughout the Roman Empire. It is known as the diaspora which is greek for dispersion. For the better part of the subsequent 1800 years jews were a tiny minority in palestine.

19th century messianic zionism coupled with western cynical politics sought the establishment of a western style jewish state in palestine.

As recently as the actual creation of the modern state of Israel, jews were still the minority population in the area.

That is why Israel is absolutely unwilling to negotiate any aspect of the palestinian right of return. Any "democratic" solution would ultimately lead to the dissolution of the jewish state.

[del30-2009]

As I was eating at the chaw hall in the base where I am stationed at in Kirkuk, I could not help but to get up and move closer to the TV where your story was running. I am in the middle of all this and have been for a while now. I see it all with my own eyes. As we drive through the Kurdish sections of the city of Kirkuk on our normal daily patrols, we receive nothing but heart-warming friendship. The kids come up to us freely, the men that we run across invite us for lunch and the women wave at us; yet when we drive through the Arabic sections we get kids throw rocks at us and grown ups set IED%u2019s and roadside bombs for us. I%u2019d say the Kurds deserve a chance. They also, have the right to exist like any other people. They have always extended a hand for friendship and it is only polite of us to extend our hand back. As far as I am concerned, they are the only sincere friends we have here. Great report Bob. I wish you would have came down to Kirkuk and talked to us. I would have taken care of you.

[davidmonty1]

"One question arises, which I know most here don't want to face: why is it so cool for the Kurds to have a protected autonomous homeland, and so questionable for the Palestinians?"

Palestinian land never should have been handed over to a bunch of Jewish people who didn't live there.
Posted by obiquital at 06:17 PM : Feb 19, 2007


Read you history the jewish people were there long before anyone else.

[obiquital]

"One question arises, which I know most here don't want to face: why is it so cool for the Kurds to have a protected autonomous homeland, and so questionable for the Palestinians?"

Palestinian land never should have been handed over to a bunch of Jewish people who didn't live there.

[davidmonty1]

I was shock to see a positive story on Iraq coming from this mostly left leaning new organization. You guy keep doing stories like this you may get me back as a regular watcher of 60 minutes except for Andy Rooney he is beyond saving. It was good to see such a good story on how America is doing something good in this world. And not everyone hates us in the world as the 3 major networks would have you believe. I am sure this is not the first letter sent to you in surprise of the story you did last night. Careful the New York Times may take you off their Christmas list next year. See you guys did a good story on Iraq and the sun still came up today. Thank you for showing the positive side of Iraq and the reason we went into there to free people like the Kurds.

[petersonag]

I want to congratulate you CBS for being the first in drive-by-media since God knows when to actually air something from Iraq that could be considered good news.

Good job! Keep it up and more viewers may follow.

[dushka-2009]

The rest of Iraq is unstable precisely because of the US presence; and Kurdistan is stable precisely because it is a US colony. Sound contradictory? The fact is that empire and conquest do work - with the support of the native population. Foreign conquerors have noted this from time immemorial: witness the willingness of Balts to serve the Third Reich in German uniform for "national freedom," even though Hitler would never have granted them the independence they wanted.

One question arises, which I know most here don't want to face: why is it so cool for the Kurds to have a protected autonomous homeland, and so questionable for the Palestinians? The answer, of course, is that Western interests are fostered ny the one, and infringed upon by the latter. The old divide between "worthy" and "unworthy" victims, the former being victimized by enemies, the latter by our side.