Kashkawa Village an Incarnation of Our People Persecutions

[Administrator]

Kashkawa Village an Incarnation of Our Assyrian People Persecutions

By: Adeep Esho

Kishkawa village lies in North of Akra city at 1829 foot above the sea level, where El-kharz River runs through the North East side of the village with the population of 174 people according to 1957 census.  Before 1963 approximately 100 families dwelled the village in 30 houses, in the same year a group of Zibari (Kurdish Tribe) mercenaries belonging to the Saddam’s regime incinerated the village of Kashkawa alleging that some villagers joined the Kurdish movement. 
Their crime was not limited to the killing of villagers and those who were members of the Kurdish movement like Mr. Daniel Toma, Mr. Moshi Zaia and Mr. Youkhana Shamas, it even included people from other Assyrian villages.  Survivors of such atrocity were forced to seek refuge in several Iraqi cities until their return in 1970 after the March 11 communiqué was issued and the village was re built, but in 1987 the Iraqi regime deemed the village as a prohibited area and ordered to be completely demolished and to transfer its inhabitants to a residential complex built subsequently for this purpose.  After 1991 about 40 houses were build and the returning journey to the village started again, but ironically the village remained persecuted by the same people who were used to committing such crimes even during or after the downfall of the Saddam’s regime.  As it is known to many people mercenaries like Mahmood Agha El-Zibari and his son Zubair were the bitter enemy of the Kurdish Movement yet the most aggressive toward our people and even toward the Kurdish people as their crimes included killing, set fire to villages, ransack, plunder and rape.  When the regime discovered in early 80’s that the son (Zubair) who claimed leadership after the death of his father had secretly collaborated with the Kurdish movement plotted and carried out his poisoning with thallium. He was the most aggressive mercenary and considered the direct reason behind our people’s resentment toward the Iraqi authorities and the cause for their expulsion from their villages, not to mention how seriously and constantly they were exposed to  dual persecution by both the authorities alleging that the villagers had collaborated with the Kurdish movements and by Pishmarga (Kurdish Militia) claiming that they had cooperated with the Iraqi authorities.  But apparently today the Kurdish movements were behind the displacement of our people from their villages for the purpose of kurdifying them hence to inhumanely portray the aggressiveness of the Iraqi authorities in order to gain the Christian International public opinion support for the Kurdish case. They somehow succeeded in their policies and gained the western support as they brilliantly succeeded in Kurdifying our Assyrian regions and villages and the best example for such attempt is the Christian Assyrian City of  Duhok ( Name Kurdified from the city of Nohadra).


What has really prompted us to write about this subject is the new and constant persecution and unjust committed against the people Kashkawa Village , who scarify their lives defending their land and dignity. 
On Wednesday April 9 the people of Kashkwa were surprised to see herd of sheep estimated by thousand pasturing in their grassland, when they rushed to drive the cattle out of their grassland a huge fight broke out using rocks, sticks and weapons between Kashwa men and the trespassers, but luckily it ended with no human loss except for some wounded from both sides. 
This is not the first time in which Mr. Ridha and Mr. Shemal El-Zibari sons of Mr. Zubair Mahmood Agha El-Zibari, who we previously mentioned in our article had trespassed against this village and its people, they continuously rented the village grassland to Kurdish shepherds of Surcheen Kurdish tribe.   On the other hand, to protest against this matter, the people of Kashkawa village had filed a complaint to the authorities condemning such irresponsible conduct, the matter had even reached to Mr. Massoud Al Barazani, but again and as it is customary to those people no definite measure was ever taken in regard with this subject despite of all the registered documents showing the ownership of these grassland to the Assyrian people of Kashkwa. 
The village had not witnessed any transgression for the last two years up until this year the matter reoccurred again when most parts of Iraq and especially Al jazeera region and Arbil plain suffered the shortage fall of rain which gave the opportunity to both Mr. Ridha El-Zibari to sign a contract with Kurds (Al surcheen Kurdish tribe) and his brother Mr. Shemal to sign a contract with Arab shepherds giving them the right to use Kashkwa grassland without the approval and knowledge of  the Assyrian people of Kashkawa Village, in return the brothers received money in advance.
After the fight was over and the trespassers pulled out of some grassland near the village, the chief of the village along with the elder men officially handed a request to the officials demanding a solution for the problem caused by the Zibari Kurdish brothers.  After the request was officially filed to Denarta Regional Manager as it was instructed by the Akra District Commissioner, the Regional Manager of Denarta in his part informed the villagers that the subject had reached to the President Mr. Massoud Al Barazani and there is nothing he can do but to transfer their request back to Akra District Commissioner. The Commissioner on the other hand is not able to take any measure against the reckless Zibari Kurdish brothers for they have all the power and personally related to Mr. Massoud Al Barazani (his uncles).   
Massoud AL Barazani’s power apply to poor, rich and to those who do not support his ruling party (Kurdish Democratic Party)  but meanwhile he ignores the subject and only tries to ease the situation by falsely stating to guarantee everyone’s right the necessary measures.  He allegedly states to prevent anyone who tries to offend the villagers while on the other hand he let his uncles to continue in their aggression against the them which subsequently force them to leave their village same as it happens in other Assyrian villages such as Dafri, Kerbish, Assan, Arkan, Jum-seni and other Assyrian Villages which are trespassed against and kurdified. 
The subject will remain unsolved, the many promises and decisions that were made by Kurdish authorities will stay unfulfilled.

It is worth mentioning, that these matters along with the role of our National Parties and Religious Organizations who are usually  in disagreement among themselves even for silliest matters as we saw what happen in the first of April march (Assyrian New Year March) and how each one considers himself our people’s Protector and Legitimate Representative when it comes to their self interests.  But when it comes to mentioning our people’s persecution they easily keep silent and submissively justify their silence and inability to take any action against the Kurdish aggression to our people. They attack every voice that expresses our people’s will or ask for their legitimate right, their action unfortunately reached to denying our people inclusion in the United Nations Resolution that protect the Native People, some deny  knowing one of the journalists who was arrested praising the Assyrian Kurdish relations, or some try to stop the assistance and even threatening to evict anyone from his home (which is built by Sarkis Agha Jan) in case taking part in the first of April march and most of all was their action of depriving and threatening people.  But when matter comes to inquiring and protecting the village of Kashkaw or other Kurdified villages or even the right bring to justice those who killed our people then the matter becomes out of their specialty for they fear not only for  their monthly salary but also for their feeble thrown.  During the political conference held in Frankfurt-Germany on 11-12 of April sponsored by Federation Numan for rights www.wiesbaden.fnstfreiheit.org and in corporation with International organization for protecting people www.gfbv.de  to discuss the situation of religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq our people representative in his part praised the democratic experience implemented in the Kurdish province forgotten our people oppression by Kurds in many ways from killing, arresting and kurdifying our Assyrian Lands.   As we approach closer to applying the article 140 of the temporary constitution that specify the situation in KirKuk and other places especially there was information about a United Nations Committee heading to Iraq to start implementing this article in Mosul as well.  All these matters are considered not of any significance to our organizations which are mainly preoccupied of how to increase their income even if this was on the account of our people’s case.  Our question to those who try to link us to the Kurdish province is that if the village of Kashkawa which sacrificed its men for their sake are still suffering from Kurdish oppression by the hand of the family which they consider a supporter what about our people who up until the fallen of the regime were labeled as enemies and regime supporters?...
Here I raise my voice to say to these individuals  to stop betraying our people and stop brokering with their rights for the history will condemn every traitor and subservient. 
I proudly praise each and every zealous voice that calls for people’s rights.

Finally I would like to mention that the American occupation, mercenaries, and the Iraqi government are held responsible for what is happening to our people today and in the future from killing, expulsion, resettlement in our lands, kudifying our regions, depriving us from jobs and schooling as well as causing division among our ethnic groups.  We call upon the international and Iraq public opinion for the following matters- to stand by our oppressed people and their rights as it is part of Iraq, to return our lands and villages and to stand against all the arranged displacement for the sake of Iraq and its unity.

Long live unified Iraq and its people.

Translated into English by Assyria National Assembly Translation bureau
The translation is available to all websites with mentioning the source