Iraq: Whether elements loyal to the central Iraqi government infiltrated Kurdish controlled northern Iraq to kill or attack Kurds who had taken part in the March 1991 uprising; whether regional leaders of the Kurdish opposition were at particular risk (1991-1998)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 7 February 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IRQ33274.E |
| Reference | 7 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iraq: Whether elements loyal to the central Iraqi government infiltrated Kurdish controlled northern Iraq to kill or attack Kurds who had taken part in the March 1991 uprising; whether regional leaders of the Kurdish opposition were at particular risk (1991-1998) , 7 February 2000, IRQ33274.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad6250.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No information on whether elements loyal to the central Iraqi government infiltrated Kurdish controlled northern Iraq to kill or attack Kurds who had taken part in the March 1991 uprising or whether regional leaders of the Kurdish opposition were at particular risk since 1991 could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
On 21 May 1991, the Los Angeles Times quoted a US Senate subcommittee staffreport stating that "Iraqi secret police have been infiltrating the military enclave the allied coalition has set up in northern Iraq and intimidating Kurdish refugees." The report added that "an estimated 100 secret police enter Zakhu each day to take names, gather information and otherwise harass the kurdish population. The kurds identify these agents, and the allied forces were expelling as many as six a day (ibid.).
It might be of interest to note that according to several reports starting in 1994 the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP) was requesting, and obtaining, the assistance of the Iraqi government and its army against the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) (The New York Times 5 Sept. 1996; The Seattle Times6 Sept. 1996; The Washington Post 15 Sept. 1996; CRS Issue Brief26 Mar. 1998). The Washington Post use the term "alliance" to describe the relationship between Saddam Hussein's forces and the KDP (ibid.).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
CRS Issue Brief. 26 March 1998. "Iraq's Opposition Movements". Washington: Congressional Research Service. < http://www.fas.org/irp/crs/index.html > [Accessed 4 Feb. 2000]
Los Angeles Times. 21 May 1991. Stanley Meisler. "U.N. Creates Damages Fund For Billing Iraq." (NEXIS)
The New York Times. 5 September 1996. "Failed Race Against Time: How U.S. Tried to Avert Iraqi Assault." < http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/kurds2.htm > [Accessed 4 Feb. 2000]
The Seattle Times. 6 September 1996. Yalman Onaran. "Tense Standoff for Kurdish Rivals in Iraq." < http://www.seattletimes.com/extra/browse/html/ altiraq_090696.html > [Accessed 4 Feb. 2000]
The Washington Post. 15 September 1996. Jeffrey Smith and David Ottaway. "Anti-Saddam Operation Cost CIA $100 Million." < http://washingtonpost.com/ wp-srv/inatl/longterm/iraq/stories/cia091596.htm > [Accessed 4 Feb. 2000]
Sources Consulted
Arabies 1998-1999
Arab Studies Quarterly 1998-1999
Les Cahiers de l'Orient 1998-1999
Country File. Iraq
The Jordan Times [Amman] 1999
Journal of South Asian and Middle East Studies 1998-1999
Monde Arabe Maghreb-Machrek 1998-1999
Middle East International 1998-1999
MERIP Report 1998-1999
World News Connections (WNC)
Internet sites including:
Iraqi National Congress
Keesing's Online
Search engines including: