"Kurds press for independence from Iraq
By UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL
Published February 1, 2005
KIRKUK, Iraq -- Kurds in northern Iraq are again talking about creating their own autonomous state, the Los Angeles Times said Tuesday.
Tribal leader Karim Agha said while Iraq's more than 1.7 million Kurds have traditionally been allied with the United States, he fears they will be lost in the diplomatic shuffle of regional appeasement to Arabic countries.
'The war against Saddam Hussein is over and everyone has their freedom except the Kurds,' Agha said. 'We are surrounded by enemies, and we can wait no longer for our own nation. It would be a great shame for the United States to abandon us.'
The newspaper said a surge in Kurdish power would anger Turkey, which is worried Kurdish control of Kirkuk and its rich oil reserves would embolden and create instability among Turkey's disadvantaged 13 million Kurds. Such a scenario could also create regional problems if Kurds in Iran and Syria also demanded more autonomy."
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