Michelle Naar-Obed of WNPJ member group Loaves and Fishes Catholic Worker House in Duluth sends us this report from Kurdistan and an open letter to our government, by delegates from the Christian Peacemaker Team:
Dear friends,
Below is an open letter that our CPT team composed and is sending out as an editorial piece to newspapers across the country. We will also try to get it published on webmedia as well. We are still in the process of getting clearance to accompany villagers home. Many have returned but are still frightened by the near daily flyovers by Turkish aircraft. Just 2 days ago, there was another shelling by Turkish military but no reports of civilian casualties.
Our request for accompaniment has gone through a series of UN and government channels. All have welcomed the proprosal. The request is right this moment on its way to PM Barzani's office. He has the final word. It is quite a mystery why no journalists have been allowed in the Qandeel mountain villages to report on the attack of the village that sustained the most damage, injury and death. Speculations for this run across the board but they are only speculations.
We met an assistant to the Mayor of this village and he has video footage, still pictures and a piece of the bomb that exploded in the village. We now have copies of the still photos and we can download the video footage unto a DVD. We took photos of the bomb fragment. The weather is finally warming up here. It has been the coldest winter in 10 years. For over 2 weeks we had running water intermittently. Most of the time it was frozen in the water tanks that are kept on the roof. But now we and the water are getting a chance to thaw out. That's it for now. Peace, Michele January 15, 2008
An open letter to the United States Administration, United States Department of State and United States Defense Department:
We are members of Christian Peacemaker Teams, presently living and working in the Kurdish north of Iraq. We have closely watched the news reports that detail the Turkish military invasions and bombings of Kurdish territory over the last five months, purportedly against PKK resistance. We note that the United States has provided intelligence for those attacks and has chosen to open Iraqi air space for those incursions.
We have had regular contact with the United Nations, the ICRC and local Kurdish NGOs that have assisted the casualties from those attacks. Those attacks killed at least three civilians and injured at least six. CPT has visited two of the families who had a member killed or injured. Additionally, reports indicate those bombings have damaged or destroyed homes, schools, mosques, and hospitals.
CPT visited mayors of communities to which some of the 600-800 displaced families, approximately 3000 individuals, fled for refuge. Those mayors shared photos and videos of the damages in the villages and encouraged us to visit some of the families who are now unable to return home.
The bombings killed hundreds of sheep and cows, animals upon which families depend for a living. Other animals are uncared for because families are afraid to return as flights by Turkish military continue. Farmers now wonder how they can do spring planting.
As CPT talks to Kurdish people, we hear a call for the United States to abide by the standards to which it holds other countries: Do not kill or injure civilians and an occupying power is responsible to protect and care for the civilians who are under its control. The United States identifies the Kurdish Regional Government as a model of democracy, but it is clear that democracy is not served by opening air space to an outside military to attack civilian targets. These civilians had no voice in this decision.
On a larger scale, CPT has observed a dramatic change in the Kurdish population from unapologetic support for the U.S. military presence in Iraq to anger at the way in which the United States has dumped one of its most loyal allies in the Middle East. Kurdish people have experienced the Anfal assaults under the Saddam Hussein regime and fear U.S. support will encourage Turkey to move even more aggressively against Kurdistan.
Therefore, CPT in Iraq deplores the decision by the United States to aid these attacks on a civilian population. We beg you as U.S. officials to reverse this decision that assists Turkey in violence toward civilians. We encourage U.S. pressure on Turkey to pursue diplomatic solutions to the PKK/Turkey disputes and other underlying issues. CPT calls on the people of the United States to learn more about these events and advocate for the safety of these Kurdish people.
Peggy Gish, Anita David, Cliff Kindy, Michele Naar-Obed - CPT delegates http://www.cpt.org/
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