Talk to Al Jazeera - Massoud Barzani: Flying the Kurdish flag

There are more than thirty million Kurds - most of them living in an overlapping area of Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. It is said to be the biggest ethnic community in the world without a homeland. In some of the countries in which they live, they are prevented from speaking their language or obtaining citizenship. Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader, used chemical weapons against the Kurds, destroyed their villages and killed tens of thousands of them during his rule. The bodies are still being unearthed. The US encouraged them to rise up against Saddam when his forces were driven out of Kuwait in 1991 but then left them hanging. And thousands died fleeing to Turkey as refugees. But the no-fly zone that the US, British and French established to protect them from Saddam's attacks, allowed them to break away from Iraqi government authority, while remaining part of Iraq. Since 2003, the Kurdish region has become the most stable and prosperous part of Iraq, fuelled by oil and Turkish investment. And while relations with Turkey have improved, they have worsened with Baghdad - with disagreements over oil, land and politics that some fear could turn violent. Massoud Barzani, the Kurdish president, has emerged as a crucial player in Iraqi politics and as the leader of Kurdish aspirations in the region. He has warned that Iraq's Kurds could seek independence if they do not get what they need from Baghdad. And that his region will not be dragged down by the rest of Iraq. On this episode of Talk to Al Jazeera, we sit down with Barzani to find out how far he is willing to go to protect and promote the interests of the Kurdish people.

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[KurdishUnity]

That Kurds had no support and that they fought as a minority makes the victory in south Kurdistan even more honorable.

Saddam attacked the Kurds, killed many Kurdish civilians and occupied south Kurdistan Kurds fought as a minority against a majority who also had the support of the world. Nevertheless we freed south Kurdistan.

And where is your daddy Saddam now? What is the future of your so called ASS yrians, where is your land, your army, your people, your culture, your language etc.?

[başur bakur]

no it is not egg it is the day when that day come then u will c my dick inside ur mother ass hole well my peni will be dirty after but no prb it relax her cuz im sure her pussy it look like tank exhaust pipe

[nesedogan67]

bSumerian sun, did you forget to take your meds today? You know you need to take your meds to be able to cope with your jealousy of the Kurdish people. And you cannot just describe the assyrian people and say its about kurds, we know it is assyrians you talk about because you/they are that way. As can be seen by your comments...

[nesedogan67]

tigris e., there were people in northern mesopotamia thousands of years before the ancient assyrians; whom modern assyrians claim to be descendants of. Thats an undisputed fact. Another undisputed fact is that the kurdish people are the natives of the region/Kurdistan, which makes you the same as the sionists, except that you dont have a holocaust as an justification for the occupation. And being oppressed, ethnically cleansed and put through genocide is more than enough for reason.

[Toby Wong]

I didnt see him killing any jews or his own citizens.

[Spindari AS]

What a man he is. Love you President Massoud Barzani.

[8484ray]

How can kurds run a country with the average IQ of 7 this is not lego play..

[KurdishUnity]

Ozzy Turks, Ich fick deine Mutter in 30 verschiedenen Stellungen, und dann lasse ich sie von Hunden ficken.

du kannst mein Sperma Schlucken du dreckige türkische Hure

[KurdishUnity]

Hey Ozzy Turks, nobody belives your terror state Propaganda, come and suck my Kurdish dick you turkish whore.

Kurds will reach their freedom like in South Kurdistan.

[tigris euphrates]

Why do always use Saddam as a justification for seperation. Saddam killed more shia arabs than kurds but u dont see shia blameing it on sunnis arabs or Iraq in general. Saddam is hell for his crimes and thats the end of that. Some kurds that act like you are just like Saddam you both are facist cowards. Your just like the zionists who use holocaust as justification for occupation of Palestine. And about the Assyrians they were the first to inhabat northern Iraq and thats a undisputed fact

[mase abdulla]

@ Sumerian sun go and choke on your dad dick u sound like a sheep fucker