The players behind the curtain

[Anthea]

The players behind the curtain - excellent report by Dr. Bayad Jamal Ali

In the past twelve years, since the regime change in Iraq, the different Iraqi factions have been in a continuous struggle over claimed rights, territories, power, money, status, and different agendas, each according to the faction’s demands. Kurds have wanted to implement Article 140 to hold a referendum in the claimed Kurdish territories outside of Kurdistan Regional Government control but have been stalled for years by the Iraqi Central Government. The Sunnis were persecuted by the Shia government in Baghdad, which lead to the welcoming of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria to the Sunni territories. The different Shia forces have been in competition amongst each other and occasionally fight to gain more power according to their loyalties. Here we have to ask, are these the real reasons behind all of these clashes or are all of Iraq’s factions are being played like puppets?

Tuz Khurmatu, which is in the disputed territories, is a town that was previously in the province of Kirkuk but was added to Salahaddin in 1976. It is around 60 km from the city of Kirkuk, and it has been a place of clashes between mainly Shia forces and Turkmen and Kurdish residents. In recent weeks, tensions erupted in Tuz Khurmatu between the Shia paramilitary along with the Turkmen militia against the Kurdish Peshmerga. The act of terrorizing the Kurdish population of the town, assassinations and kidnappings are all attempts to drive Kurdish residents out of the town and change its demography as it has been happening in many parts of Iraq, in particular in Diyala Province that had a majority Sunni population in the past which has now become a minority compared to the Shia population. But is it only to change the demography and add a town to the map, which may seem insignificant to the average person?

The two sides that are fighting may not realize the importance of this town. There is fear that Kurds are gaining control over Kirkuk oil, and they have already started exporting it through the Kurdistan Regional Government’s line, and there is fear of a hidden agenda, which is that in case control of Kirkuk is lost to the Iraqi Central Government, the real players will use a technique to still take Kirkuk’s oil with the Slant Drilling technique.

Iraq invaded Kuwait because of using Slant Drilling to steal Iraqi oil, and Iran is currently using the same technique on many oil fields in southern Iraq. If the Kurds lose control over Tuz Khurmatu and the next town and the next, Kirkuk will be surrounded by pipes all around, stealing the oil underneath the city.

The Kurdish leadership has been waiting for the Article 140 referendum and constitutional methods to finalize the disputed areas, yet not realizing that the towns are being taken by force by opposing parties.

We hope that the Kurdish leadership can be united for the cause that hundreds of thousands of people have shed blood for, and avoid being played like pawns in a game of chess

http://www.nrttv.com/EN/birura-details.aspx?Jimare=2907