Elusive Dreams

THE Kurdish dream for an independent state goes back many decades and crosses many national borders. 'Kurdistan' straddles eastern Turkey, northern Iraq and western Iran. Devout Sunni Muslims, the Kurds are the largest minority group in Turkey and Iraq.

 The Treaty of Sevres (1920), which divided the Ottoman Empire after World War I, did call for the creation of an autonomous Kurdish state. This plan, however, was shot down—according to some historians, by the British—and Kurdistan was split among three nations. 

Since then repeated militant attempts to make Kurdistan a political reality were brutally suppressed by both Ankara and Baghdad. In 1988, Saddam Hussein followed up a massive military operation against the Kurds with a chemical weapons strike, razing entire villages to the ground and killing and maiming thousands. After the end of the Gulf War, Kurdish rebels seized key towns in northern Iraq, but were crushed by Saddam. Over two million Kurds fled to Iran and Turkey, and thousands died of exposure in the mountains.

The US, France and Britain sought to solve the crisis by setting up a 'safe haven' for Kurds on the edge of northern Iraq and imposing the no-fly zone. Since then, Saddam has repeatedly tested the US resolve, backing off only when challenged.

In 1992, the first Kurdish elections led to a split between the main contenders—the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) led by Jalal Talbani and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of Masood Barzani. (A few years ago, the Barzanis were close to western intelligence agencies, while the Talbanis had connections with Baghdad.) This sparked off a vicious internecine battle in which thousands died before the US mediated a ceasefire in 1995.

However, the fighting resumed this August. This time, the PUK was armed and trained allegedly by Iraq's longtime foe, Iran. Saddam aligned with the KDP, and was invited to Irbil. It was then that he sent 40,000 troops—leading to the latest crisis.

While all eyes stay focused on the spin off of these shifting alignments, it's unlikely that the Kurds will ever realise their dream.