On Kirkuk's Frontline
Iraqi Police defend Northern city
Despite over 1,300 attacks on Kirkuk's police force, 5,200 men have joined up. What motivates these men to work in such dangerous conditions? We hear from police chief, Sarhad Qadir.
"The insurgents hate us because we prevent them from causing serious damage to the coalition", explains Sarhad. "If they can make the coalition fail in Kirkuk, they can make it fail in all Iraq." Over 400 policemen have been injured by insurgents and another 200 killed. Sarhad himself survived five attempted assassinations. His brother, another police officer, was murdered. Those wounded receive no compensation so their families regularly beg Sarhad for assistance. "We keep asking the Interior Minister to compensate wounded policemen but, until now, they have not given any help", he complains. In the face of such violence, Sarhad believes Iraq should be divided into three autonomous provinces. "That way, the security situation can be controlled and the Iraqi people will be saved from violence." But he refuses to be intimidated. "I stood up against the brutal Ba'ath regime and fought as a Peshmerga. I'm not going to give up now."
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