Inside Iraq - Peshmerga of Iraq - 29 Feb. 08 Pt. 2

The Peshmerga are hailed by most Kurds in Iraq as the military force protecting the Kurdish people.

The word Peshmerga literally means "ready to die". It alludes to the famed warrior spirit of the Kurdish fighters.

Most Peshmerga are loyal to either one of Iraq's two main Kurdish political parties - the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) or the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).

The KDP, led by Massoud Barzani, and the PUK, led by Jalal Talabani, each have about 25,000 to 30,000 fighters.

These fighters have become the unofficial standing army of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

But critics - some within the Kurdish community itself - have accused certain Peshmerga commanders of abusing their military power, exploiting political contacts and amassing enormous personal wealth.

Human rights organizations, as well as independent Kurdish figures, have made allegations that the Peshmerga run prisons in which fellow Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen are routinely tortured.

Even Barham Saleh, deputy prime minister of Iraq and a Kurd himself, admitted torture was used in Kurdish prisons - an acknowledgement that was not welcomed by his boss, Jalal Talabani, Iraq's president.

The military force, represented by the Peshmerga, has taken on additional significance in the light of the ongoing conflict in the region between Turkey and the fighters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The Peshmerga are staying out of the conflict, avoiding any confrontation with Turkish troops and not coming to the support of the PKK.

This week, Inside Iraq will examine the role played by the Peshmerga and will investigate the charges of corruption and torture.

Our guests this week are:

Falah Mustafa Bakir, minister and head of the Department of Foreign Relations and Freshta Raper, spokesperson for the Kurdistan National Congress.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Inside
• Iraq
• al
• jazeera
• Jasim
• Azawi
• Peshmerga
• Kurdistan
• National
• Congress
• Freshta
• Raper
• Falah
• Mustafa
• Bakir

[ezman212]

u r not useful to speak in English in Aljazeera cahnnel wchich it Alqaeda channel

god blesss PEshmerge and kurdistan

long life for kurdistan and the kurdish people and the hell will be to every 1 hates us

[hejarpola85]

fuck all TURKS here and their beloved mothers and sisters..the best Turk is a murdered TURK

[xrabkurdx]

@xrabkurdx all kurds are gay because they fuck your mums dads. stupid turks.

[xrabkurdx]

@StupidKurds ohhhhhhhhhhh i fuck turks like u every day prike shit heat

[KurdSouth]

this bitch is being fucked by a arab im 100%sure

im kurd living in europe and say LONG LIFE BARZANI U TALABANI OUR LEADERS

[see202uk]

Aljazeera one of the most unreliable and lying news agencys in the world, all they do is support and promote Arabic fascist and terrorist ideas, even the Arabs them self’s have their own problems with that channel, in doing so they use the freedom of speech as a tool to achieve watt their devilish mind wants.

[DanialKurdistani]

biji kurdistan fuck all turk

[TheScienceofnature]

@KerkukTurkmeneli go to mongolia you gypsy scum. what the hell you doing in Iraq trying to make another Turkish state? driving out and massacring all the other ethnicities as the other Turks did in anatolia? the only people who shouldn't be in Iraq are arabs and Turks. we can do what ever we want to you guys inside our own land. you are occupying our territory. what do you expect us to do?

[minxarebim]

shame on every single person in kurdistan which in the power and accepted to sexually abuse thire siteres, mothers, wives by other fucking persons ion power just to keep them in job, people like you fallah in poswer and other people like you and barzane's family should be shooted on the head .

[KURDinEXILE]

Long live Kurdistan & long live the K.R.G. for it's great effort to lead us the Kurds to our freedom from the sick and retarded enemies of Kurdistan the Arabs and Turks. Long live the Kurdish friendship with the nations of USA, UK & Israel! The Kurds will be having excellent relations with Israel, USA & UK. Eat your hearts you criminal Arabs and Turks and next time fetch your own Salahuddin to defend you, you're are on your own this time (or just go back to Hathramout & Mongolia).

[kurdistan1989]

@KerkukTurkmeneli and you are a dog lead by the asshole fucked up turkey...

[molla91]

please the turks tortures us like sence they ocupied us, WHO GAVE A SHIT?. WHO MADE A FUCKING DIFERENCE?. No one. only diyarbakir is free becouse of violence. and more is needed. becouse freedom does not cost money or love but death.