KURDISH IMMIGRANT: ‘WHY WOULD THE U.S. TURN ITS BACK ON US NOW?’
Reprint rights By Abdi Aynte, Minnesota Monitor

Twin Cities Planet
Oct 26 2007
Minnesota

>From his thriving downtown St. Paul bistro, Hassan Naqshabandi is
counting on the United States to rebuff Turkey if it attempts to
invade his native Kurdistan in northern Iraq in pursuit of the
Kurdish rebel group, the PKK. His view is shared by many Kurds,
who, as the friendliest ethnic group in Iraq for the U.S. troops,
have relied on the United States for protection since the first Gulf
War. For more background see Eric Black’s "History of Kurds driving
future of Iraq war." "The United States has protected [Kurds], its
strongest ally in Iraq, for more than 15 years. Why would it turn
its back on us now?" asked Naqshabandi, 46, owner of the 7th Street
bistro. That’s not how Onder Uluyol, a Turk and a resident of Blaine,
sees the recent cross-border fight between Turkey and the PKK,
designated by the United States, the European Union and Turkey as
a terrorist organization. The PKK, he said, wants to drive a wedge
between the United States and Turkey, which are NATO allies.

This month alone the PKK has killed at least two dozen Turkish
soldiers and captured eight, parading their images on Kurdish
websites. "Iraqi-Kurdistan is not doing enough to stop this terrorist
organization," said Uluyol, 41, a research scientist. "There’s an
enormous public pressure to crack down on the PKK." Responding to
the mounting pressure, the Turkish parliament recently authorized
the military to hunt the PKK, even inside Iraq, unnerving the
Bush administration. The tension in the mountainous region near
the Iraq-Turkey border couldn’t have come at a worse time for the
administration: The Foreign Relations Committee in the U.S. House
this month passed the "Armenian genocide resolution," a symbolic but
strong rebuke against Turkey. In retaliation, Turkey has threatened
to curtail its logistical support for the war in Iraq. More than 70
percent of all military hardware and supplies for the U.S. troops
travels through Turkey. Secession vs. federalism Diplomatic conundrums
are not on the radar of Naqshabandi, one of few Kurdish immigrants
in Minnesota. Though the PKK doesn’t wield a significant influence
among Kurds, he said the underpinning issue is that Kurds have
few or no rights in Turkey, Iran and Syria, where they are in
the minority. "Iraqi-Kurdistan is the poster child of what Kurds
across the region would like to see one day," he said. "Thanks to
the United States. That was not possible under Saddam Hussein — or
any other government in the region." Kurdistan is the most stable,
self-governing part of Iraq. Reaping the benefit of the federal
system set up after the U.S. invasion, the oil-rich region has strong
economic ties to Turkey and other neighbors. Naqshabandi, a former cook
for the U.S. troops who helped enforce the no-fly zone during Saddam
Hussein’s administration, said U.S. soldiers roam around villages and
towns in Kurdistan, sometimes unarmed. "We see them as liberators,"
he said. "Others see them as invaders." The PKK and other Kurdish
rebel groups in the region call for independent Kurdistan. But
Iraqi-Kurds, including President Jalal Talabani, say autonomy is
their ultimate goal. Naqshabandi agrees. "Independent Kurdistan,
sandwiched between Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria, can’t survive in
that hostile environment," he said with a little chuckle.

Uluyol, the Turkish scientist, couldn’t agree more. He contends that
Turkish-Kurds will be better off in Turkey once the latter joins the
European Union. "The current Turkish government granted the Kurds more
rights than ever," he said. "Turkey has to improve the conditions
of its people before it enters the EU-and the current government is
doing everything it can to achieve that goal."