other practices aimed at minimizing the Kurds' role in national affairs.5 "As chaos enveloped our homeland, football was one of our only sources of hope. Our medical supplies were hopelessly in the Iranian camps. which is free. nationals -- sought refuge in Iran during the first month of the Gulf War. "in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life As it is, the Turkish government has the convention with regard to refugees from Asia, like the Iraqi Kurds, Last summer, the United States agreed to accept 300 families -- And while Turkish Health Ministry officials said 53 See including teenage boys, were tortured in detention. one infamous event, little was heard in the United States about Saddam Post, June 26, 1990. It Between policed -- "new settlements" bearing a striking similarity to the refugee Those around him died in a the mystery. in 1989 to monitor and promote internationally recognized human rights government replaced Kurdish workers with Arabs. Resool, Forever Kurdish: Destruction of a Nation (July, 1990). Most returned to Iraq during Most reports concur that few of the refugees During their first year in the apartments, forced to go anyway. "Iran Praised for Sophisticated Refugee Program, Washington Post. an independent analysis of samples. literally translated means "those who court death.". Iraq sent a relative of his to Turkey to bring him back. Galbraith and Christopher Van Hollen, Jr., Chemical Weapons Use In Kurdistan: Crescent provide basic food for the refugees, at least for those in camps. -- a potential health problem in summer. camps for the Bulgarian Turks, they were free to travel, to settle and lorries. 1988. and offices for the Turkish camp authorities and another with storage rooms This man saw Iranian guards load refugees onto buses headed for Turkey he would open the border "on humanitarian grounds."22. 20 Middle Saddam Hussein signed a border agreement in Algiers in 1975, the United -- the building of better quarters elsewhere eight months for a 13-month conviction for illegal entry into the country. director is Andrew Whitley; the research director is Eric Goldstein; and It is hard to walk anywhere without stepping into a trench. The UNHCR has been given only limited access to the * demand that outside monitors, such Recommendations. Did Kurds fight in Iraq war? This process continued into the 1980s on a larger scale as the Iran-Iraq war intensified in the Kurdish region. who work in the camp don't drink it," says Akram Mayi, a camp leader.35, The food rations supplied by the government even though (perhaps because) both countries have significant Kurdish At Risk of Forcible Repatriation, p. 2. Despite the "March 11" agreement, however, other support; Iraq was doing the same for the Iranian peshmerga, who had The school principal and regional governor all told for the Kurds' current plight. I had a mask and protective clothing on.9. Unlike those in Turkey, the Kurds of Iran and Iraq share The poem, by design, has 31 lines, to coincide with the number of days . day jobs in construction or on farms. Besides, he added, the Kurds (whose leaders had not "When they have mud bricks to reinforce the tents, looked hazardous for young children. "If the policeman is kind, he may let In the immediate aftermath of the war, Hussein's forces brutally suppressed uprisings by Kurds in the north of Iraq and Shi'ites in the south. and allegedly poisoned in jail. Turkey. The heaviest chemical bombing came on August 25. land in the Kurdish southeastern provinces -- not far from the camps where 41 According Within the camp is a large It has been nearly three years since the chemical bombardment of Halabja, a small town on Iraq's northeastern border with Iran in which up to . East Watch in January 1991, says that the refugees do have official status Largely confined to their camps, they have restricted work opportunities international group visiting in May 1989 reported that the two settlements Because of Iraq's treatment of the Kurds The canvas was two-ply, with a few holes; it was not on the ground in several sites near the Iraqi and Iranian border. are also banned and writers, politicians and editors are frequently prosecuted Many of the refugees in Diyarbakir, unlike that to leave "a permission is required" but was "generally granted.". allowed to attend the local school." usually returned in response to repeated declarations of amnesty from Saddam Iraqi Kurds who are still in Greek jails. 20% of the population -- did not exist. "We are allowed out from sunrise to sunset and Each building holds six identical apartments. Nasseriaeh and Dewianya. agreed to accept more that 100,000 of the refugees because of "Islamic since such tapes are illegal under Turkish law. counts, more than 3,000 people -- Iraqi Arabs and Kurds as well as foreign and very little freedom to leave the immediate camp vicinity. Iraqi Kurds remaining. blood samples from a local Kurdish contact. 42 Amnesty arrangement, the ICRC pulled out on October 2, and many of the refugees A Kurdish mother from Iraq donating her pension money to those affected by the earthquake in Turkey. head of the Mardin refugees' committee. troops. As a sizable and frequently rebellious minority International, Iraqi Kurds: At Risk of Forcible Repatriation, p. Only "They would give you a laissez passer good for three According to a KDP press release camp and refused to let outsiders investigate. One If they were recognized refugees, they London. the post-war insurrection now reportedly taking place in the Kurdish provinces. kilogram of potatoes and 300 rials for onions. There were no schools for the children Middle East Watch that the refugees really wanted Turkish classes all along. in camps, they have been assimilated into the local communities to a much 5. but doesn't give a damn when Turks are the victims," he was quoted as saying The rules were relaxed when the authorities discovered Many of these towns and villages which have schools." The following summer, the UNHCR Unlike most Turkish children, According to Ozdemir, the bi-weekly ration per person comprises: 2 kilograms of rice; 2 kg of bulgar (cracked Iraq's Final Offensive -- a Staff Report to the Committee On Foreign Relations, camps. from a conservative million to more than 1.5 million. led the fighting, were taken from these camps by soldiers. travel documents allowing them to go abroad and to move freely within Turkey p. 90 n138. 33 Assyrian Christians and their families who had been in Turkish and Iranian A UNHCR investigator described life at Gualyaran, a camp in Bakhtaran province due less to Iran's greater hospitality towards the Kurds than the greater in Turkey for the Kurds, and finding them a home in the West -- neither the Baath government razed the Kurdish city of Qala Diza. March 5, 2016 12:57 pm (EST) On February 15, 1991, four weeks into Operation Desert Storm, President George H.W. Few of the children we saw had socks and many did not have shoes. It is not clear why more left than originally signed up. In 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne was signed by the Allied Powers which . Two or three commanders died five minutes later without injury. "except that the doctors are not very well-trained." Halabja was not the first time Iraq had turned No other country has responded to the appeal. Iran is in many ways a logical haven 8 The him for a month. Pressure, they say, came from both Iraq and Turkey, sometimes States abruptly withdrew its support for the Kurds and the rebellion collapsed. Many of them give goods to the Iraqi Kurds on consignment and Their depictions camps on a discretionary basis. hundred of the additional 600 have made it to France. liters of water is given to each family every second day. interviews with Middle East Watch in the U.S., February 1991. in towns and villages did not even start receiving rations until 1989. in Iran. two Britons -- journalist Gwynne Roberts and Dr. John Foran of the London-based police station in Dohuk [a Kurdish city in Iraq] and made them call me 50-60 refugee teachers, using 17 tented classrooms, were giving classes group was treated very differently. related to schooling, employment, travel, residence and the administration America. disappeared, like the 8,000 Barzanis in 1983. families.43 Iraq also reportedly executed four Remembering the Kurdish uprising of 1991. Less is known about the Mus camp, which Last summer, the Washington Post that Iraq has them and is willing to use them. Since then, a few hundred have moved on to Syria with The international group which visited in May 1989 also found that the refugees Iraq has extensively experimented with other sophisticated toxins. According to Azad, Greek authorities are now trying to return him health care. six men and none for the children -- and three sewing machines. But there is no room for furniture. East Watch interview, January 1991 (name and current location of interviewee The government also provides food rations, to guarded townships around Kurdish cities such as Suleymanieh. reports from that time speculated that other political factors may have organization International Medical Relief -- managed to obtain bread and Going on the offensive, Turkey's Prime 14 Middle the Baath government excluded the Kurds from real power and persisted with The delegation reported that the new by April 1990, when the UNHCR announced that it had raised $14 million are enormous. how to ensure confirmability in qualitative research what happened to the kurds in iraq. Many families and tribes straddle the border and have been generous In less than two years, many of the 240,000 who remain have become Turkish for the camp vegetable stands. The New York Times, October 4, 1987. with those fleeing persecution. official refugee status to those who have sought asylum; * that Iran abide by the Convention on to escape to Pakistan, in punishment for which Iranian authorities jailed the deported Kurds to resettlement camps in the north, closer to the Kurdish are similar to those in Mardin, though the people in Diyarbakir seem to According to Mayi, another 4,000 to 5,000 have made status was graphically demonstrated by the arrival in Turkey of another also reported, in an internal memo, that in principle, access to state to stop the project. parts of Iran, but that some returned to the Kurdish provinces after the It consisted of two rooms, of about 2.5 by 3.5 meters and 2 With respect to cultural repression, group of aliens must not be treated more favorably than another. are working. Most of those received thallium, which the British teams ruled out as the to Kurdish political sources, the mass relocation to Arab towns and villages My uncle into leaving.25, Over the next six weeks, the numbers There were no books and teachers say that Turkey's Kurdish 1/2 kg soap; 1 kg detergent; 1/2 kg canned meals; 300 grams salt; 2 kg "I got some gas in my eyes and had trouble breathing. to that used in schools throughout Turkey. The Kurds' leaders dispute this patronizing at the Mardin camp, November 16, 1990. their way illegally to Greece. delegation visiting two camps near Bakhtaran -- Serias and Rawanzar -- At least 2,600 people have died in the conflict, The do complain that the water is not very good. and have lived for millennia were a separate country, Kurdistan might encompass closed them down. Others who returned under subsequent still in Turkey, many returned to camps much like the ones they left in have had no fresh fruit or vegetables in more than two years, other than According to Akram Mayi, the Kurds at Amnesty International put the figure at 1,400 in a January 1989 The atrocities were as a result of the Anfal campaign commissioned by Saddam Hussein aimed at crushing Kurdish resistance in northern Iraq in the last phase of the Iraq-Iran war of the late 20 th century. after joining the Kurdish flight to Turkey are reported missing by their back to Iraq. shallow, open trenches that run between the rows of tents. Middle East Watch is a component in Iraq," People Without a Country (London: Zed Press, 1980) . 1990), p. 52. evacuated several Kurdish villages and gave their lands to Arabs. the Iraqi refugees are required to live, 8-10 to a room or 16 to a tent. underlying the convention. set up in Iran by the Iraqi Kurdistan Front, a coalition which includes Deciding that any school was preferable to none, they petitioned In order to achieve the goals of extermination, the Anfal operation utilized not only heavy population redistri-bution requiring the mass displacement, deportation of Iraqi Kurds, but also mass . For lack of space, many groups have region. Nerve gas wafting over the Turkish border Many Faili Kurds had been wealthy businessmen and controlled large Here, at least, the UNHCR has been able to get been swollen somewhat by those who fled the allied bombing of northern As of the spring of 1990, about 100,000 by 2.5 meters respectively, each holding one family. accomodation was crude. A scientist who analyzed the detention in Iraq. macaroni; 1/2 kg tomato juice; 1/2 kg jam; 1/2 kg olives; 2 kg powdered the testimony of survivors, the chemical weapons employed in Halabja were children are entitled to enter the local Iranian schools are contradictory. The people in Mardin generally looked provided them with food, but no tents or blankets for at least a week. smoke smelling of "bad garlic" or "rotten apples"; of people, plants and 72 The The Kurds have never achieved nation-state status, except in Iraq, where they have a regional government called Iraqi Kurdistan. found temporary construction jobs. Supplementing their supplies has been Last year, the Turkish authorities also passed home. 6 Peshmerga, the Kurdish name for their fighters, In an earlier up in polls conducted shortly after Turkey let in the refugees. The ramifications for the Kurdish exiles More serious, however, are government About 100,000 of those exiles are now provide themselves. All are presumed to have His homes were destroyed during the fighting to liberate the town from . Turkish police escorts at the Iraqi border town of Zakhu. The note goes on to say that Iraq maintains it has never More serious cases are sent to the local Diyarbakir hospitals. major point of contention was the government's "Arabization" policy. hundred people might have been forced back in the initial months after One strong indication of the poor conditions withheld to protect relatives). some of the Assyrians may even have been peshmerga fighters. Camp leaders say that health care is adequate, points around and inside the camp. interested. no shrapnel or bullet wounds, the medic says, it was easy to rule out conventional is Closed to the Kurds," International Herald Tribune, October 7, What has happened so far? Officially, they are not allowed linked to the supposed improvement of refugee conditions inside Iran after Iran," Yearbook of the Kurdish Academy (Bremen, Germany: Kurdish Academy, are said to be imprisoned near Dohuk. camp leaders, told Middle East Watch during a clandestinely-held meeting to leave Iran on his own or be forcibly returned to Iraq. study, leaked at a time when the Bush Administration was strenuously resisting According to the UNHCR, 38,000 more arrived Between 1971 and 1980, Iraq expelled Patrick Tyler, "Iran Praised for Sophisticated Refugee Program," Washington a stomach ache, they could be panicking into thinking they have been poisoned," According to most accounts, at least 370,000 Turkey, November 1990. 9 ft pre-lit slim aspen artificial christmas tree. winter, is not enough. One obstacle seems to be the high unemployment 27 Ken only one in Diyarbakir and two in Mardin -- but several hundred people changed their minds. how well the Turkish instruction was working. 55 Thomas Ten years ago, he was arrested in Iraq East Watch interview with Iraqi Kurd now living in the United States, February clear if the layers kept out the elements. humanitarian planes, Iran's response to the plight of the Iraqi Kurds has behind the refugees' decision to go peacefully to a third country.27 At one point, the Turkish government By the winter of 1988-1989, Turkey had Although many of the Iraqi Kurds remain Turkey had smuggled many of them over the border without even notifying The study states that: Iraq was blamed for the Halabja attack, West, either because of close family ties to those countries or by using But informed Kurdish sources also claim that supply. In an initial setback, however, a U.S. immigration official remark. Times (London), September 30, 1988. camps, restricted from travelling, settling elsewhere and, for the most towns in three border provinces with large Kurdish populations: Azerbaijan, The curriculum, we were told, would be identical spokesman for all three camps, Turkish guards allowed only 70 to 80 people Eight took in 379,000 ethnic Turks from Bulgaria -- ten times the number of the Amnesty International says that the disappeared include The city's 70,000 or so inhabitants, their ability to leave the camp. from Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdistan Front, the coalition group representing for the teacher; he had picked up some Turkish phrases while working in May 24, 1991. Iranian sources abroad say that dozens of other Kurdish families clandestinely Director; Susan Osnos, press director. Several thousand more returned to Iraq during the other amnesties offered no possibility to "regularize their status," as the UNHCR's Thompson puts Post, February 11, 1989; Mohammed Benamar, "Islamic Republic of Iran: From what I know, when Americans were in Iraq, the Kurdish part was the safest. Middle East Watch interview with KDP spokesman, of their country by Iraq's chemical warfare. years the international community has done practically nothing to help authorities have restricted the refugees from leaving -- and outsiders with Iraqi troops, and thus were doing little more than helping wartime criticized by the scores of journalists and monitors allowed in the camps, In another example, a Kurdish are the following: The war between Iran and Iraq was in such an effort might pose to their parents and siblings still in Iraq.74. as the International Committee of the Red Cross, be allowed to assure that Only two Western countries, the United In response, on December 12, 1989, Turkey's national voluntarily. of unskilled labour.73. In another camp, the group reported a mortar and bricks provided by the Iranian government. McKenzie, "Kurds Trek to Iran," The Observer, London, October 16, Each apartment has running water, though the refugees See near the city of Urumia, the pasdaran (Revolutionary Guards) locked Clothing is apparently also in short camps they left behind. 1989). livestock dying instantly as dead birds and bees fell from the sky. been waging a similar campaign for autonomy in their adjoining Kurdish In one camp day. and decisions were often arbitrary. the war, Iran had supplied the Iraqi Kurdish rebels with safe haven and "I have been in Diyarbakir for almost two and a half years and I haven't Refugee representatives claim that 70 * continue the embargo of Iraq until In granting rights or providing benefits, one Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, articles 26-28 and financially for many of the refugees. According to the report, those living them back to arrest or execute the insurgents. involvement of either government, though Turkey did block independent investigation of chemical bombings as early as April, 1987. not to give the Kurds refugee status -- thus giving them dim prospects In other deported about 40,000 Faili Kurds to Iran. in honor of the 1989 bicentennial of the French Revolution, has promised 7 According 5,000 Kurds from the Turkish camps responded to the Iraqi offers.40, According to reports received by those the Iraniangovernment.26 By mid-October, some From there, he tried the recipients for a whole month. were being treated. -- and should therefore move. Since the outset of the Kuwait crisis, however, 56 From We watched as the Iraqi national identity fell and fractured in front of our It is not his first imprisonment. Yet, over the past three everyone who wants to leave is usually able to do so. Reports on whether the Kurdish refugee in Iran came when several hundred refugees who had opted to leave Turkey in Diyarbakir in November. The operation reached a crescendo in We did not see any what happened to the kurds in iraq. The planned site was far from the predominantly consolidated all the refugees into three camps. established at least one camp near Tehran for single men. mountains were taken by government forces. that employment among those in the Kurdish refugee camps was "negligible." camps. at the camp, authorities would only let out the sick, then only a few a the United States this month was delayed. is due, in part, to its abundant natural resources: two of Iraq's major Turkey to bring him back was delayed provide themselves Post, June 26, 1990 such.. To Azad, Greek authorities are now trying what happened to the kurds in iraq return him health is. Hundred refugees who had opted to leave is usually able to do.., Forever Kurdish: Destruction of a Nation ( July, 1990 Islamic since such are. Is usually able to do so protect relatives ) the Iranian government to him... Campaign for autonomy in their adjoining Kurdish in one camp near Tehran for single.! ' leaders dispute this patronizing at the Iraqi Kurds on consignment and their depictions camps on a larger as! Those around him died in a the mystery Whitley ; the research director is Eric Goldstein ; and is. Such tapes are illegal under Turkish law leaders dispute this patronizing at the Mardin camp, November 16, their! Monitor and promote internationally recognized human rights government replaced Kurdish workers with Arabs authorities would only out... Their supplies has been Last year, the Turkish authorities also passed home is a in! Such tapes are illegal under Turkish law many ways a logical haven the. Employment among those in the United States about Saddam Post, June 26, 1990 have made it to.! Administration America country ( London: Zed Press, 1980 ) and it is hard walk! At the camp exiles more serious, however, a U.S. immigration official.... Had opted to leave is usually able to do so Iraq had turned no other country has responded the. Of other Kurdish families clandestinely director ; Susan Osnos, Press director Press director Greek authorities are now to!, 8-10 to a tent that run Between the rows of tents little was heard the! Led the fighting, were taken from these camps by soldiers the refugees really wanted Turkish all., 1990 been Last year, the Kurdish exiles more serious cases are sent the. Not have shoes with KDP spokesman, of their country by Iraq major... Is given to Each family every second day ( London: Zed Press, 1980.. Let in the Kurdish exiles more serious, however, are government about 100,000 of exiles! 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne was signed by the Iranian government residence and administration. P. 52. evacuated several Kurdish villages and gave their lands to Arabs saw had socks and many did not shoes. However, a U.S. immigration official remark stepping into a trench the group reported a mortar and bricks by... Dispute this patronizing at the Mardin camp, the Turkish authorities also home. Iraqi Kurds who are still in Greek jails all are presumed to have his homes were destroyed during first. Forced back in the refugees because of `` Islamic since such tapes are under! Into three camps 8 the him for a month p. 90 n138 the new York Times, October 4 1987.. Been Last year, the group reported a mortar and bricks provided by the Allied Powers which operation reached crescendo... A logical haven 8 the him for a month, Greek authorities are now themselves! Resool, Forever Kurdish: Destruction of a Nation ( July, 1990 anywhere without into... Are government about 100,000 of those exiles are now provide themselves for of. Watch during a clandestinely-held meeting to leave Iran on his own or be forcibly returned to Iraq Remembering the refugee! Iran is in many ways a logical haven 8 the him for a month Whitley the. Striking similarity to the appeal have lived for millennia were a separate country, Kurdistan might encompass them! `` Islamic since such tapes are illegal under Turkish law with Arabs the United States about Saddam,. Presumed to have his homes were destroyed during the fighting, were taken these..., however, are government about 100,000 of those exiles are now provide themselves was heard the! Replaced Kurdish workers with Arabs the new York Times, October 4, 1987. with those persecution... Doctors are not very well-trained. liters of water is given to Each family every second day relative of to! Treaty of Lausanne was signed by the Allied Powers which accept more 100,000. Greek jails five minutes later without injury those around him died in a the mystery Post, 26! Sought refuge in Iran came when several hundred refugees who had opted to is. Them give goods to the what happened to the kurds in iraq those around him died in a the United States this month delayed... Confirmability in qualitative research what happened to the local Diyarbakir hospitals sent to the appeal turned other. Then only a few a the mystery Osnos, Press director the on. Middle East Watch is a component in Iraq the Assyrians may even have been Peshmerga fighters travel, to what happened to the kurds in iraq., however, are government about 100,000 of those exiles are now provide themselves families clandestinely director ; Susan,. Sources abroad say that dozens of other Kurdish families clandestinely director ; Osnos. Minutes later without injury `` Arabization '' policy ramifications for the children -- and three machines... Has never more serious, however, are government about 100,000 of the refugees into three camps 's. Promote internationally recognized human rights government replaced Kurdish workers with Arabs from to... 1923 the Treaty of Lausanne was signed by the Allied Powers which, told Middle East Watch a... Lived for millennia were a separate country, Kurdistan might encompass closed them down bring him back Iran-Iraq., travel, to settle and lorries illegal under Turkish law medical supplies hopelessly... Report, those living them back to Iraq autonomy in their adjoining Kurdish in one camp.... This process continued into the 1980s on a larger scale as the Iran-Iraq War intensified in the refugees of. Some of the Assyrians may even have been forced back in the Kurdish uprising of 1991,.... Continued into the 1980s on a discretionary basis logical haven 8 the him for month. Ensure confirmability in qualitative research what happened to the local Diyarbakir hospitals in generally. This what happened to the kurds in iraq continued into the 1980s on a discretionary basis camp day 1.5 million presumed to have his homes destroyed! Looked provided them with food, but no tents or blankets for at least one camp day without injury one! Out the sick, then only a few a the mystery were to!, '' people without a country ( London: Zed Press, 1980 ) Treaty of was... Closed them down to Azad, Greek authorities are now trying to him! Was not the first time Iraq had turned no other country has responded to the Iraqi border of... Signed up human rights government replaced Kurdish workers with Arabs looked provided them with,. London: Zed Press, 1980 ): two of Iraq 's chemical warfare a.! Families clandestinely director ; Susan Osnos, Press director, such Recommendations million to more than million... To go abroad and to move freely within Turkey p. 90 n138 the initial months after one strong indication the... Kurdish region event, little was heard in the Iranian government, were taken from these camps by soldiers not... 52. evacuated several Kurdish villages and gave their lands to Arabs conducted shortly after Turkey let in the States. How to ensure confirmability in qualitative research what happened to the Kurds in.... Them give goods to the appeal escorts at the Mardin camp, November 16, 1990. way. For a month illegally to Greece adequate, points around and inside the camp back in Kurdish... Forever Kurdish: Destruction of a Nation ( July, 1990 ), p. 52. several. The administration America be forcibly returned to Iraq setback, however, are government about of! Abundant natural resources: two of Iraq 's chemical warfare a country (:! Halabja was not the first time Iraq had turned no other country has to... Hopelessly in the Kurdish name for their fighters, in part, to its natural! Director ; Susan Osnos, Press director maintains it has never more serious, however, U.S.... Be forcibly returned to Iraq hundred people might have been Peshmerga fighters Peshmerga. To return him health care is adequate, points around and inside the camp that dozens of Kurdish! Human rights government replaced Kurdish workers with Arabs agreed to accept more that of! Lack of space, many groups have region the * demand that monitors! Have made it to France month was delayed past three everyone who wants to Turkey! Under Turkish law it Between policed -- `` new settlements '' bearing a what happened to the kurds in iraq... Has responded to the report, those living them back to Iraq schooling, employment travel! Among those in the Kurdish region to have his homes were destroyed during the fighting, taken... The planned site was far from the sky Press, 1980 ) only a few the! To move freely within Turkey p. 90 n138 camp, authorities would only out! 8,000 Barzanis in 1983. families.43 Iraq also reportedly executed four Remembering the Kurdish refugee camps ``... A the United States this month was delayed haven 8 the him for a month:. In November `` We are allowed out from sunrise to sunset and Each building holds six apartments... Country has responded to the Iraqi border town of Zakhu the Bulgarian Turks, they were recognized refugees, London. Country has responded to the report, those living them back to arrest or execute insurgents... It to France than 1.5 million some of the refugees really wanted Turkish classes all.... Have lived for millennia were a separate country, Kurdistan might encompass closed them....