The Iraqi Kurdish cities of Erbil and Duhok were ablaze with Kurdish flags and reverberating to the sound of Kurdish music and honking cars on Sunday, the day before a controversial independence referendum was due to take place.
But it was a different story in the more ethnically diverse areas taking part in Monday's vote, including in the city of Kirkuk where many people were keeping their heads down and preparing for the potential outbreak of violence between Iraqi militias and Kurdish forces.
This is not the first time Iraq’s Kurds have called for independence from Baghdad. But the timing of the current call is unique, coming when Kurdish forces have control of a number of disputed areas coveted by both Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government, including oil-rich Kirkuk.
Miqdad Faidhulla, a Kurdish member of the Iraqi Islamic Party in Kirkuk, said tensions between the KRG's Peshmerga forces in the city and Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi's government had reached their peak.
“It’s reaching a military problem — imagine two motivated armed groups fighting over one city,” he said, referring to the Peshmerga and the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an Iranian-backed umbrella group of mainly Shiite militias sanctioned by Baghdad.
_______________
Read more on the referendum:
Analysis: Kurdish independence vote a smokescreen for Barzani's domestic political woes
Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum: Seven key points
Barzani says 'too late' to postpone Iraqi Kurdish referendum
_______________
Kirkuk's typically busy shopping streets were quieter than usual on Thursday when The National visited as residents stayed indoors, having already stocked up on food, with some even sending family members to other cities or countries.
“If the referendum is used as a way to establish complete Kurdish political control over the city there is likely to be a significant backlash from Turkmen and Arab residents,” said Michael Stephens of the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London.
One young Arab man in Kirkuk predicted violence.
“If the two sides continue like this there will be conflict,” he said, referring to the KRG and Baghdad.
But although some Kurds are calling for the vote to be delayed, many more are readying themselves to head to the polls and vote 'Yes' on Monday, believing the referendum could be the beginning of the end of modern-day Iraq.
“We have been waiting for the right moment for one hundred years and it never came,” said Osamah Golpy, 32, an Erbil-based editor at the Kurdish news site Rudaw English.
“I think time is not right unless you make it right."
Golpy is from the Iraqi Kurdish city of Halabja where one of Saddam Hussein’s most notorious assaults on the Kurds took place in 1988 — a five-hour chemical attack that killed some 5,000 civilians.
The son of a veteran Peshmerga fighter and a former refugee himself, Golpy believes an independent Kurdistan would provide him and his people with security.
“The benefit of leaving Iraq [will be] that for the first time in my life I feel safe, I feel like there is a Kurdish army, a Kurdish state that protects my life from another genocide,” said Golpy.
“I think we, like the Jews, have come to the conclusion that only a state by the Kurdish people and for the Kurdish people can protect us.”
Despite Halabja’s troubled past, some of its younger residents are choosing to vote "No" as a result of their disillusionment with the autonomous region's ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). Golpy’s younger brother, Mariwan, has a BA in sociology but the dire financial situation in the region has seen him resort to driving a taxi for a living.
“He thinks voting ‘No’ is the right revenge on Kurdish leaders who promised young people like him a good life … I see many young people like my brother in Halabja,” said Golpy.
North of Halabja in the PUK-stronghold of Sulaymaniyah, visible signs of support for the referendum were hard to find, according to one resident.
One of the city's main roads was partly peppered with flags, said Rawand Saeed, 26, but “the rest of the bazaar and the city are quite normal”.
The computer engineering graduate was adamant that most of the city would vote "Yes" to independence on Monday but said political disputes between the different Kurdish factions had dampened enthusiasm for the "Yes" campaign.
“If you talk to people, they are all for independence, but when you walk into the city you can’t visibly see that there’s a thing called referendum,” he added.
Outside of Iraq, voting was already underway for members of the Kurdish diaspora who could begin casting online votes on Saturday.
Film director Beri Shalmashi, 33, voted "Yes" from her family home in the Netherlands capital, Amsterdam, where she has lived for 30 years.
“To see a part of Kurdistan stubborn enough to be able to set up a referendum is a big deal,” said Shalmashi.
“I truly felt part of history, part of a point of no return for Kurdistan and for the region.”
“For many of us (in the diaspora) the connection with Kurdistan remains very strong … no matter how long and how far away, the dream of an independent state remains a shared dream.”
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Score
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
New Zealand lead three-match ODI series 1-0
Next match: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, Friday
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UAE v IRELAND
All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi
1st ODI, Friday, January 8
2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10
3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12
4th ODI, Thursday, January 14
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
|
1.
|
United States
|
|
2.
|
China
|
|
3.
|
UAE
|
|
4.
|
Japan
|
|
5
|
Norway
|
|
6.
|
Canada
|
|
7.
|
Singapore
|
|
8.
|
Australia
|
|
9.
|
Saudi Arabia
|
|
10.
|
South Korea
|
Overview
What: The Arab Women’s Sports Tournament is a biennial multisport event exclusively for Arab women athletes.
When: From Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 12.
Where: At 13 different centres across Sharjah.
Disciplines: Athletics, archery, basketball, fencing, Karate, table tennis, shooting (rifle and pistol), show jumping and volleyball.
Participating countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Qatar and UAE.
Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
Wallabies
Updated team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Reece Hodge, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Will Genia, 8-Pete Samu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Lukhan Tui, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16-Folau Faingaa, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Taniela Tupou, 19-Izack Rodda, 20-Ned Hanigan, 21-Joe Powell, 22-Bernard Foley, 23-Jack Maddocks.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
HOW TO WATCH
Facebook: TheNationalNews
Twitter: @thenationalnews
Instagram: @thenationalnews.com
TikTok: @thenationalnews
