Misinformation by a pro-Kurdish journalist

In an article published on 28th November in ‘The Independent’
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article3201563.ece
Patrick Cockburn writes:

“In addition to the 2.2 million Iraqi refugees who have fled to other countries, a further 2.4 million are displaced inside Iraq. Of these, one million, mostly Kurds, were compelled to leave their homes under Saddam Hussein before 2003, but 1.2 million fled after the bombing of the Shia shrine in Samarra in February 2005. People are still leaving their homes inside Iraq and 28,000 more people were displaced in October.”


This is a piece of misinformation written by a biased, pro-Kurdish journalist. How can a so-called “professional journalist” unashamedly write such nonsense! No one who follows the news in Iraq will swallow such a blatant lie.

Firstly: it is since 2003, since the occupation of Iraq by the US-UK-AU that over 2.4 million Iraqis are internally displaced (while more than 2.2 million are displaced outside Iraq according to the UN). *
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=24777&Cr=iraq&Cr1=

Secondly: these are not “mostly Kurds” .

Thirdly, since 2003, the Kurds have not only recuperated all the lands and properties from which they were expelled under the former regime, but they are now occupying the lands and properties of Turkmens and Chaldo-Assyrians, in their respective regions in the north of Iraq, namely Turkmeneli and the Nineveh Plains.

Fourthly: since 2003, the Kurdish parties of Messrs Barzani and Talabani have brought over 600.000 Kurds not only from outside Kerkuk province but also from Syria, Turkey and Iran and have settled them in Kerkuk in order to change the demographics of the region in view of the upcoming census.

Journalist Cockburn fails to report that these "newly arrived" or "imported" Kurds are now occupying lands and properties belonging to the Turkmens.


Conclusion: Cockburn is another of these 'Kurdish-embedded' journalists.

* According to the Iraqi Red Crescent there are well over 4 million displaced Iraqis around the world.