Aug. 5, 2007
Kurdistan: The Other Iraq
Bob Simon On How The Kurds Are Reshaping Northeastern Iraq
-
Play CBS Video
Video
Kurdistan Strives For Autonomy
In Full: Kurdistan, the northeast section of Iraq, is a safe and developing region. Bob Simon reports on a secure area, next to a war zone, that may or may not get its own sovereignty.
-
Video
An American In Kurdistan
Only On The Web: Bob Simon asks Ahmed Gilani, a college student, why he returned to Kurdistan after growing up in Texas.
-
Video
Bob Simon's Notebook
Only On The Web: "60 Minutes" correspondent Bob Simon talks about the Iraqi region of Kurdistan and the problems it faces in seeking independence from the rest of the war-torn country.
-
-
Photo
Friendly faces greet the 60 Minutes crew in Erbil. (CBS)
-
Photo
Construction is booming, as the Kurds rebuild their region, free of sectarian violence. (CBS)
-
Photo
Erbil. (CBS)
-
Photo
Modern buildings are popping up all over Erbil, the de facto capital of the region called Kurdistan. (CBS)
-
-
Interactive
New Plan For Iraq
Key elements of the plan, excerpts from the president's speech, reaction and more.
-
Photo Essay
Hunting The Insurgency
CBS News' Cami McCormick goes on patrol with U.S. troops in southern Baghdad
Try to imagine a peaceful and stable Iraq where business is booming and Americans are beloved. Now open your eyes because 60 Minutes is going to take you to a part of Iraq which fits that description: it's called Kurdistan.
Technically, it's inside Iraq but the Kurds who live there behave as if they already live in a separate state. As correspondent Bob Simon reports, they have their own prime minister, their own army, their own border patrol—even their own flag. And the overwhelming majority of Kurds will tell you they want nothing to do with Baghdad and the rest of Iraq.
And why would they after the brutal way Iraqis under Saddam treated them in the past? Why would they when they’re doing just fine on their own?
When visiting Kurdistan, one can see nation-building wherever one looks—Kurds are building their country day by day. There are more cranes here than minarets and there’s a run on cement. A new mall with 8,000 shops and stalls is going up. So is an apartment complex known as "Dream City," in which some of the units are selling for $1 million. A giant bowling alley is almost finished, and an opera house is not far behind. What’s behind the boom? Security.
Kurds are quick to remind you that they are not Arabs and there is a de facto border between Kurdistan, which is in the northeast corner of Iraq and the rest of Iraq. Arab insurgents who want to slip into Kurdistan must get past hundreds of Kurdish checkpoints. And distinct from much of Iraq, the security forces in Kurdistan are disciplined and loyal. And they’re all Kurds. There are no ethnic divisions here, so the violence stays on the other side of the border.
Asked how many American soldiers have been killed in the Kurdish-controlled area since the beginning of the war, Nechervan Barzani, the 40-year-old prime minister of what is officially called the Kurdistan Regional Government, tells Simon, "No one."
Major General Benjamin Mixon is the commanding officer for American forces in northern Iraq and Kurdistan, 20,000 in all.
Mixon tells Simon there are only 60 to 70 U.S. troops stationed in the Kurdish areas. "There’s no need for American forces up there because of the nature of the situation," he explains.
"I guess compared to being stationed in the rest of Iraq, it’s pretty good duty," Simon remarks.
"It’s good duty. I’ve been up there. I enjoy going up there," the major general tells Simon.
60 Minutes wanted to test the security situation, so one Saturday morning Simon and the team dropped by the main market in Erbil, the self-styled capital of Kurdistan, just 40 miles from the rest of Iraq. The only disagreements here were about prices.
Just how safe is it? Simon, an American, strolled through the market in his shirtsleeves, without wearing the flack jackets reporters often have to wear in other parts of Iraq.
In any other part of Iraq, walking down the street like this would be patently suicidal. But the point is as far as people here are concerned this is not another part of Iraq—it’s not Iraq at all. You may not be able to find it on a map but it is, Kurds will tell you, another country.
Asked if they were in Iraq right now, a student told Simon, "I think that I’m in Kurdistan, not in Iraq."
The feeling is widely shared. From students at Sulemaniya University to Ahmed Gilani, a Kurdish American Simon met in a café in Erbil. He came to Kurdistan recently from Texas.
"When we see the fighting going on in Baghdad here, it’s the same when I used to watch it on TV in, in the States. It feels like a totally separate country," Gilani says.
While Iraq is just 40 miles down the road, Simon acknowledges he feels perfectly safe in Erbil.
"There you go. Go to Baghdad. I don’t think you’d feel the same way," Gilani remarks.
Produced By Draggan Mihailovich
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Recent Segments
Scroll Left
Scroll Right
- 1
- 2
- next
See all 63 CommentsWhat is the fear in the sorrounding countries? Why dont they want a seperate country? Will the Kurds want to over throw one or more of the countries that have a large population of Kurds? I doubt it. Can the Kurdish government guarantee that will not happen so they can forge ahead with their own country? It is only right we support and give them that chance.
The only other thing I can think of is that the Kurds be given a large role in the Iraqi government to ensure their survival. Also, to insure their insight and leadership if this article is true.
Information in the public realm establishes that the gas that killed the Kurds in Halabja was Iranian according to Stephen C. Pelletirer, the CIA's senior political analyst on Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war, "I was privy to much of the classified material that flowed through Washington having to do with the Persian Gulf. In addition, I headed a 1991 Army investigation into how the Iraqis would fight a war against the United States%u2026" The Kurdish civilians who died had the misfortune to be caught up in a battle between Iraqis and Iranians. Each side used gas against the other in the battle around Halabja. The condition of the dead Kurds' bodies, however, indicated they had been killed with a blood agent -- that is, a cyanide-based gas -- which Iran was known to use. The Iraqis, who are thought to have used mustard gas in the battle, are not known to have possessed blood agents at the time, according to Pelletirer. Saddam Hussein has committed human rights atrocities against his people, but this is not one of them. This information was in The New York Times 31 January 2003--before Bush invaded Iraq, and is repeated on various other sites. It was still another of Bush's lies justifying his illegal war. One must wonder why CBS is repeating this falsehood.
Information in the public realm establishes that the gas that killed the Kurds in Halabja was Iranian according to Stephen C. Pelletirer, the CIA's senior political analyst on Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war, "I was privy to much of the classified material that flowed through Washington having to do with the Persian Gulf. In addition, I headed a 1991 Army investigation into how the Iraqis would fight a war against the United States%u2026" The Kurdish civilians who died had the misfortune to be caught up in a battle between Iraqis and Iranians. Each side used gas against the other in the battle around Halabja. The condition of the dead Kurds' bodies, however, indicated they had been killed with a blood agent -- that is, a cyanide-based gas -- which Iran was known to use. The Iraqis, who are thought to have used mustard gas in the battle, are not known to have possessed blood agents at the time, according to Pelletirer. Saddam Hussein has committed human rights atrocities against his people, but this is not one of them. This information was in The New York Times 31 January 2003--before Bush invaded Iraq, and is repeated on various other sites. It was still another of Bush's lies justifying his illegal war. One must wonder why CBS is repeating this falsehood.
Best,
Mike Andrews
journalist
Erbil
The USA should back the Kurds with enough territory and resources (oil territories near Kirkut) to be able to absorb Kurds from neighboring territories (Iran, Syria, Turkey, etc)
They will be forever grateful, and in the long run, so will we....
David Carlson
Fresno CA
The USA should back the Kurds with enough territory and resources (oil territories near Kirkut) to be able to absorb Kurds from neighboring territories (Iran, Syria, Turkey, etc)
They will be forever grateful, and in the long run, so will we....
David Carlson
Fresno CA
TO cnast,
At the time of the Halabja incident, the Kurds were helping the Iranians fight against Saddams reigme. It wold make no sense for the Iranians to fight The Kurds during the time. In addition, to call this a rumor is assinine and ridiculous seeming that thousands of people were victims of this incident. If you are accusing Bob Simon and CBS of flasehood, your also accusing the Kurdish people, United Nations, Amnesty International, HRW (Human Rights Watch), and others of stating false statements.
Point being, this article is about Kurds being successful and are a prime example of democracy in the Middle East.
I would like to mention this to Bob that the reasons behind the security and harmony in Kurdistan is not what he explained as no "ethnic diversity in Kurdistan", since there are more religious and ethnics group in Kurdistan than any other places in Iraq. You can find religious groups such as Christian, Jewish, Yaristanis, Yizidis, Muslims (Sunnis and Shias), for that matter ethnic groups such as Kurds, Turkmen, Assyrian, Jwes and Arabs. So I believe Bob need to look into the character of Kurdish culture which has never been a hostile one. Kurds has always lived in harmony with others. Kurds says "Home is more pleasant when you have guest over" (Mall we mmwanew xuwesh e)
People in Kurdistan need a voice so their rights once again will not be overwritten by political games. An independent Kurdistan is the missing factor for political stability in Middle East which has been denied since the First World War. It is time to put this right and create a balance for the future peace and prosperity of the region.
I would like to mention this to Bob that the reasons behind the security and harmony in Kurdistan is not what he explained as no "ethnic diversity in Kurdistan", since there are more religious and ethnics group in Kurdistan than any other places in Iraq. You can find religious groups such as Christian, Jewish, Yaristanis, Yizidis, Muslims (Sunnis and Shias), for that matter ethnic groups such as Kurds, Turkmen, Assyrian, Jwes and Arabs. So I believe Bob need to look into the character of Kurdish culture which has never been a hostile one. Kurds has always lived in harmony with others. Kurds says "Home is more pleasant when you have guest over" (Mall we mmwanew xuwesh e)
People in Kurdistan need a voice so their rights once again will not be overwritten by political games. An independent Kurdistan is the missing factor for political stability in Middle East which has been denied since the First World War. It is time to put this right and create a balance for the future peace and prosperity of the region.
Posted by AndieRooney at 03:49 AM : Feb 19, 2007
.....BECAUSE IT'S UNDER THE CONTROL OF LOCAL OFFICALS .....LIKE YOUR PAL MAYOR NAGAN WHO GOT REELECTED DESPITE THE FACT HE'S SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR OVER 1,000 DEATHS.... BECAUSE HE DID NOT EVACUATE NEW ORLEANS IN THE DAYS LEADING UP TO THE ARRIVAL OF KATRINA AS OUR PRESIDENT OREDERED......
And Iraq should be partitioned between the Shiite and Sunni areas since they can't get along. Just like Yugoslavia was partitioned. Just like Austria/Hungary. Just like Czechoslovakia. Just like Korea.
Hozan Kapri
http://www.kurdsloveamerica.com
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.
Good job! Keep it up and more viewers may follow.
Palestinian land never should have been handed over to a bunch of Jewish people who didn't live there.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 )
obiquital
it might be the muslims turn for that......
The reason kurdistan is secure is because it's a purefied kurd country; any country can be secure if it's purefied; ask adolf hitler.
The Austrians sided with the Ottoman Turks, and Kurds during WW1; it's not surprizing they're the first airline to show up there.
The kurds are backing Al Qaeda, no wonder there's no terrorists there.
When Hitler came to power, the first groups he eliminated were his political opponents: socialists, communists, Marxists, labor leaders and other left-wingers.
Next, he turned his attention to the category he considered the greatest threat to the purity of his glorious German master race.
It wasn't the Jews.
Or homosexuals.
Or gypsies.
No, the groups that Hitler wanted exterminated with the greatest urgency were the mentally-retarded and feeble-minded:
Inbreeds, idiots, imbeciles, half-wits, simpletons, morons and cretins.
People just like you, jimmykatter!
Anyone who labels people, like Hitler did, must be a sympathizer.
The outright killing began after the forced sterilizations.
Hitler's insanity was financed by American jewish eugenecist banker james loeb.
- 1
- 2
- next
See all 63 Comments