Do the Iraqis know why the Israeli rush for property acquisitions in Kerkuk?

English translation of Wajdi Anwar Mardan’s article by Layla Anwar posted on http://arabwomanblues.blogspot.com/2009/11/pivotal-kirkuk-israeli-presence.html

Pivotal Kirkuk & Israeli Presence.

This is a rushed translation of an important article on Kirkuk written by Wajdi Anwar Mardan.

Title : Did you know that the Israeli command and operation center for target assassinations is based in Kirkuk and do the Iraqis know why the Israeli rush for property acquisitions in Kirkuk?

This article was written in reply to a question that appeared in the Jordanian daily, Al-Dustur, a few days ago, by the journalist Hayat.H.Attiyah and who started her article with : Israeli Jews of Iraqi origins return en masse to Iraq, and are settling particularly in Kirkuk where they are buying all kinds of property. The journalist Hayat Attiyah asks the question: Why Kirkuk ?

The author Wajdi Anwar Mardan says : Before replying to this journalist’s question, we need to inform the reader that this is NOT a new piece of information.He then goes on to say : After 9th April 2003, the day of the occupation of Baghdad, a large number of Israeli Mossad agents arrived in Iraq under several pseudo cover companies, the main one was called The Rafidain Company.

The first batch of arrivals was made of 900 Israeli spies. They were in charge of setting up specialized units in the target assassinations of Iraqi cadres, political figures and military personalities as well as Iraqi scientists and academics. For example in ONE year alone, 1000 Iraqi scientists were murdered.

Out of the 950 Israeli agents, 450 moved from Baghdad to Kirkuk. Currently they are occupying a house in the suburbs of the city of Kirkuk. Among these agents there is a group of Kurds who were trained by the CIA. These Kurds were flown from Northern Iraq to the island of Guam in 1996 for training.The author then adds that most of the agents are fluent in English, and Arabic and speak this latter with an Iraqi accent. Since the beginning of this year -2009, they have been buying property/real estate in Kirkuk and its surroundings: lands, agricultural fields, houses and office buildings.

Over and above that, it (this group) has continued in its target assassinations of Turkmen and Arab personalities, including some Kurdish ones, plus the bombing of Turkmen parties HQs, with the aim of igniting ethnic strife in Kirkuk and the North of Iraq. These secret Israeli operatives are also still very active in Baghdad and Babel. (my note: alongside the Iranian secret intelligence operatives)

The author W.A.Mardan then poses the question: Why Kirkuk then ?
He gives more than one reason/explanation…

1)Historical : In Babylonian times, Nebuchadnezzar, in the year 576 BC, destroyed the Southern Hebrew city (Judea/Jerusalem) and took 50′000 Jews as captives to Babylon.On his way to Babylon, he passed by Kirkuk, which was then a strategic route, the same borrowed by the Persian King Darius and his army who was defeated by Alexander the Macedonian in the Ar’ba’liu battle – currently called Erbil (my note : Erbil which is an old Assyrian word, meaning the 4 gates – nothing Kurdish about it).
So when Nebuchadnezzar arrived in Kirkuk, which was called Kar-kuk in Mesopotamian times meaning organized hard labour (my note : hard labour is still referred to as KAR in Arabic) – he saw on the eastern flank of the Khasa-so river (now called Khasa) 3 hills, fairly close to one another. Nebuchadnezzar then asked his captives to fetch sand and stones from the surrounding areas and fill the gaps between those three hills, so as to make on large hill and ordered them to build a fortress on it – hence the name Kirkuk or Kar-Kuk.

Once the construction completed, he then ordered the building of a underground cellar about 300 meters from the fortress main gate, called “Tob Qabu” (my note: in Arabic – Qabu or A’bu means cellar or anything constructed under the surface of something else. Qubba means dome. Hence the Turkish word Topkapi – under the dome)

The author then says, during the Abbasid times, out of respect for the (Hebrew) Prophets, a Mosque was built over this cellar/Qabu/also called Serdab (my note : Serdab comes from Ser (secret) and dab (passage)i.e a secret passage). This mosque namedMaqam al Anbiya -the High Place of the Prophets – is known today in Kirkuk as Prophet Daniel’s Mosque known in Turkmen language as Daniel Beghmebir Jami’i. This mosque remains till this day the historical embodiment of this city and what happened in it.

This mosque was/is known to be a place of good omen that brings prosperity to its visitors. Before, Iraqi Jews of Kirkuk, i.e before their departure to Palestine in 1956, they also frequented this mosque to celebrate Yom Al-Kabeer i.e Yom Kippur with the blessings of the Imam of the Mosque – showing the extent of the religious tolerance that existed in Kirkuk.

The author then says, he also recalls as a child, another occasion when the Jews of Kirkuk used to gather in this mosque, and they used to collectively weep/lament there. So he asked his grandmother the reason why and she told him that this is the occasion when they would remember the destruction of their city in Jerusalem and the imprisonment of their prophet Daniel in this very place ie in the prophet Daniel Mosque.

The author concludes for this part; This is the story of the Jews and Kirkuk, as recounted to me by the elders of this city several decades ago. It may well be that more historical and archeological research be done on this, however the Serdab/Qabu/Cellar of the Mosque is the proof since it is the place of the three Hebrew prophets and they are buried there. This goes for the historical reason/explanation.

Now for the second reason…

2) Resources : As is already known, Kirkuk holds 60% of Iraq’s oil reserves and has one of the finest quality of crude oil. And as per the previous regime’s estimates, in order to extract 5 million barrels of oil a day, Kirkuk would need an investment of 8 billion dollars in its oil production fields/techniques. The author then adds, but since corruption and oil smuggling are now the norm in occupied Iraq, the estimates now range between 16 to 24 Billion dollars. Hence, this is why Israeli Jews are buying as much land as possible today in Kirkuk with the aim of turning it into the Las Vegas of the Middle East.The third reason….

3) Strategy & Security for the Kurds : Israel has given guarantees to both Kurdish leaders, Talabani and Barazani, to protect the Federal autonomous region of Kurdistan from any internal (from within Iraq) or external threats, from Turkey, Syria or Iran.(my note:Turkey is seeking an active political breakthrough with its Kurds and Turkish rapprochement with the Iraqi Kurdish leadership was made, following the visit of the Turkish Foreign Minister to Erbil, where Turkey will be opening a consular section there soon, after it has already done so in Basra)

The author adds that according to the American-Israeli plan, Kirkuk is to become the capital of “Kurdistan.” Hence the Jewish/Israeli presence in Kirkuk is of crucial strategic importance, in its proximity to Turkey, Syria and Iran.

The author concludes by saying that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq was mainly to protect Israel and ensure that it remains the only regional super power in the area. That American plan hinges upon the strengthening of its puppet government in Baghdad, and its continuous efforts to erase Iraq’s Arabic and Islamic identity and stripping it of its ancient and contemporary history, civilization, heritage and role.

Posted by Layla Anwar
http://arabwomanblues.blogspot.com/2009/11/pivotal-kirkuk-israeli-presence.html


Note: For article in Arabic please click on the link below:

http://merryabla64.wordpress.com/2009/11/11/%d9%84%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%b0%d8%a7-%d9%8a%d8%b9%d9%88%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%8a%d9%87%d9%88%d8%af-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%89-%d9%83%d8%b1%d9%83%d9%88%d9%83%d8%9f/