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Iraqi tensions show no sign of abating
September 3, 1996
Web posted at: 8:50 p.m. EDT (0050 GMT)ZAKHO, Iraq (CNN) -- "Welcome to Kurdistan" reads a sign in northern Iraq.
It sits in territory controlled by the Kurdish Democratic Party, on whose side Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has intervened. That makes reaction from one KDP official to Tuesday's U.S. missile attack somewhat surprising.
Zakho Mayor Rasheed Mouhammed admits Saddam is known to be a criminal and a dictator, but he feels the Iraqi leader may have had an excuse to enter the Kurdish enclave this time. Because of that, he had hoped the United States would have considered that before its retaliatory strike.
The KDP blames Iran for sending troops across its border with Iraq in support of the rival Kurdish faction, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). Iran denies the charges.
After the latest fighting between the two factions, the KDP asked for Saddam's help. Over the weekend, Iraqi forces took the town of Irbil, which lies in the "no-fly zone" set up by the United States and its allies to protect the Kurds after the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
In response, U.S. cruise missiles slammed into Iraqi air defense systems. Also Tuesday, the U.S. and its allies declared that the "no-fly zone" in southern Iraq is being slightly extended -- to the outskirts of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.
Saddam, appearing on Iraqi television, vowed to resist further U.S. action and said he no longer considers the no-fly zones valid.
In the meantime, the U.S. and allied military coordination center in northern Iraq has been abandoned. Kurds in the area say a few dozen U.S. and allied staff left before Tuesday's raid for fear of retaliation from Kurdish rival forces.
Damage minimized
The town of Irbil was reported quiet, although electrical power and water were in short supply. Baghdad claims its troops have withdrawn, but Washington says they have simply been redeployed around the city.
Irbil residents said Iraqi tanks attacked only the PUK trenches surrounding the city, leaving its center and most civilians unharmed. Most shops remained closed and windows shuttered, but streets buzzed with traffic and pedestrians.
"Yesterday, Saddam's soldiers knocked on my door asking for food," said 60-year-old Dawud Abdullah, an unemployed Kurd. "They had dinner with us and they left. No bad treatment."
The parliament building showed the clearest signs of Saturday's attack: The Iraqi flag was flying, and two anti-aircraft guns perched on the roof. Ten armed Iraqis patrolled outside.
The Iraqi attack drove PUK forces to Sulaymaniyah, the second largest northern Iraqi city after Irbil. On Tuesday, trucks loaded with KDP fighters formed long convoys heading south.
"We will attack Sulaymaniyah tonight, God willing," said a KDP soldier who refused to give his name.
The Kurdish region in northern Iraq promises to pose more problems for the United States and its allies.
The two main rival Kurdish factions have a long history of fighting and shifting alliances between the two regional power brokers. One of the Kurdish faction leaders recently warned that the enclave could split into pro-Iraqi and pro-Iranian blocks.
Correspondent Christiane Amanpour and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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