BEHDİNAN, SOUTHERN KURDISTAN
The people of Southern Kurdistan, intellectuals and journalists have been evaluating, criticizing and commenting on the politics of the KDP, its attitudes towards the people and its attitudes towards the guerrilla – for months.
A Peshmerga who chose not to reveal his identity, made evaluations of these attempts to our agency, stating that he would rather stop fighting alongside the Peshmerga than to stain his hands with the blood of his own people.
Young people go to Europe starving
The Peshmerga from Amedîye touched upon the financial difficulties being caused by corruption under the Kurdistan Regional Government which has dirty and direct links to the jihadist Erdogan regime. The Peshmerga explained that the situation has been this way for years.
The Peshmerga who moved back to his village due to lack of employment opportunities and now makes a living through animal husbandry on the days he is free from duty as a Peshmerga, explained that many young people have left the region due to hunger and poverty. He highlighted corruption in the area by explaining that the higher ranks are eating well, “they live however they want,” he explained. “When you ask for something,” the Peshmerga continued, “the government says what should we do Iraq is not giving us money.”
The Peshmerga drew attention to the Barzani family’s wealth abroad and highlighted that the family receives all the income generated from the border gates but tells workers that they cannot be paid because the Iraqi government is not paying them.
Someone’s got no shoes, someone else’s shoes cost $100
Highlighting the need for solidarity between the peoples, the Peshmerga said: “If I see that my children are hungry, it is a sin, if my neighbor is hungry, it is a sin. Those who keep saying’my president’ should take care of this situation. Someone has no shoes, and someone else’s shoes cost $ 100, is this what justice is?”
I will not stain my hands with Kurdish blood
The Peshmerga concluded: “I am compulsorily a Peshmerga, but I will leave if I have to stain my hands with Kurdish blood. I swear that if guerrilla and Peshmerga fight, I will not participate in this war. Nobody wants this war. They called yesterday and said come, I swear that I will quit the Peshmerga, but still I will not participate in the brakujî war!”
