Posted on 08/24/2003 2:44:29 AM PDT by Pikamax
Kirkuk purges members of former ruling Baath party
Kirkuk, Iraq Press, August 24, 2003 – The new administration of this oil-rich city says it is determined to obliterate the legacy of the former ruling Baath party.
Perhaps it has more reason to do so than any local administration in the country.
For three decades, Kirkuk was subjected to oppressive and occasionally bloody policy of ethnic cleansing.
Tens of thousands of families were uprooted and their land and belongings confiscated.
Diehard supporters of the deposed leader Saddam Hussein filled senior positions and they made sure that only the Baathists were allowed to stay in the city and work in its sprawling oil installations.
Kirkuk is a mosaic of ethnic and religious minorities and many thought it would pose a real problem for the US-led occupation troops to administer.
But Kirkuk is now one of the most peaceful cities in Iraq. It has an elected council and a functioning police force and judicial system.
The city's deputy governor, Arfan Kirkukli, is charged with the removal of Baathists from senior government positions.
He told Iraq Press that the city council has sacked an additional 299 Baathists who used to hold senior posts in Kirkuk oil fields.
Saddam's Baath party has been disbanded and members of its top hierarchy are not allowed to keep their government positions.
Lower ranking officials can stay but are not to hold administrative posts, according to instructions from the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) running the country.
Kirkukli said 25 police officers were also dismissed after found that they had close links to the former regime.
Meantime, the CPA has promised to compensate Arab families lured by Saddam to move to Kirkuk to replace the people he forced out from the city.
The displaced people – mainly Kurds –are returning to their homes and land, posing a problem to the city authorities.
The CPA has said it would issue regulations specifying a mechanism for the compensation of Arab families and how to help them return to their places of origin.
The CPA has also pledged to work out a formula on how to compensate for the atrocities and grievances the former regime perpetrated in its notorious policies of ethnic cleansing.
Thank you for this post, Pikamax. I can't imagine the courage it takes to stand up to the local evildoer 'gangsters' who terrorized these communities for years.
If you want on or off my pro-Coalition/anti-wanker ping list, just ping.
But Kirkuk is now one of the most peaceful cities in Iraq. It has an elected council and a functioning police force and judicial system.
Doesn't fit my definition of "quagmire".
Excellent post, Pikamax. Iraqi Press, eh? Very cool!
Thanks for directing me here, RC. Guess we know what to do with this gem, don't we? :-)
This info from their ''about us' link:
"Publishing in English was mainly a business decision. Approximately, 150-180 new Arabic newspapers have gone on sale in Baghdad since the end of the war. There are, by contrast, only three English newspapers."
Stunning!
Karma Cops is filmed on location with the men and women of karma enforcement. All suspects are dead on arrival in the court of karma and samsara.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.