Kurds news stories on Newser

Turkey Kills 35 Civilians in Attempted Hit on Rebels

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:00:28 CST

Turkey's air force attacked suspected Kurdish rebel targets across the border in Iraq, but the roughly 35 people killed were teenage smugglers mistaken for guerrillas. A ruling party spokesman said today the victims "were not terrorists," but people smuggling cigarettes into Turkey from Iraq. He added that officials are investigating...

Biden Tells Iraqis to Mend Fences —Like, Now

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:32:22 CST

Joe Biden called Iraqi officials today, urging them to calm rising sectarian tensions after a bombing killed at least 63 people there earlier this week, the AP reports. Biden and other US officials have been phoning Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki as well as Sunni and Kurdish leaders all week, asking...

Saddam Crony Tariq Aziz Will Hang

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 07:00:00 CDT

Saddam Hussein's foreign minister Tariq Aziz was sentenced to death by hanging today for persecuting members of Shiite religious parties under the former regime. Iraq's high criminal court spokesman Mohammed Abdul Sahib did not say when the 74-year-old would be put to death. The death sentence was for a conviction...

Evidence Points to Noah's Ark Hoax

Mary Papenfuss — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:20:00 CDT

A purported Noah's Ark discovered by a team of Chinese evangelists in Turkey may be a hoax created with old timber by local Kurds, reveals the Christian Science Monitor . "Proper analysis may show this to be a hoax and negatively reflect how gullible Christians can be," said American ark expert...

'Chemical Ali' Gets a Fourth Death Sentence

Sun, 17 Jan 2010 07:31:57 CST

Saddam Hussein's notorious cousin "Chemical Ali" was convicted today of crimes against humanity, receiving a fourth death sentence for his involvement in one of the worst poison gas attacks ever against civilians. Families of victims cheered when the judge handed down the guilty verdict against Ali Hassan al-Majid in a...

American Adviser to Kurds Outed as Oil Shareholder

Jane Yager — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:15:18 CST

An influential American advocate for Iraqi Kurds, who helped successfully secure Kurdish control over new oil finds in northern Iraq in the country's constitution, stands to reap more than $100 million from the policy he shaped. Peter Galbraith, it turns out, received rights to an enormous oil stake in Kurdistan...

Kurds Threaten to Block Iraqi Election

Rob Quinn — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:18:29 CDT

A dispute over the oil-rich province of Kirkuk is threatening to delay the Iraqi elections scheduled for January and push Arab-Kurd tensions past the breaking point. Kurdish lawmakers in the Iraqi parliament have vowed to block a vote on a new election law unless authorities agree to use voter records...

Gates: Troops May Leave Iraq Early

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:37:05 CDT

The United States is considering speeding up its withdrawal from Iraq because of the sustained drop in violence there, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today, following discussions with his top commanders in the war. "I think there's at least some chance of a modest acceleration," this year, Gates said, calling...

Kurd-Arab Conflict Now Biggest Threat to Iraq

Jason Farago — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:37:10 CDT

Tension between Arabs and Kurds, rather than the usual friction between Sunnis and Shia, has become the greatest threat to Iraqi security, says the top US general in the country. The oil-rich Kurdish region has become "the No. 1 driver of instability," Ray Odierno told reporters yesterday, and "many insurgent...