Shiladze: Iraq’s Swat Valley?

(Protestors in Shiladze, Duhok. Photo: Social Media)

During the Kurdistan Regional elections last fall, I had the honor of serving as the head of the New Generation Movement’s campaign in Duhok and visited Shiladze. While there, I learned a lot about the people, their lives, the challenges they face and the values they hold. Shiladze was originally built as a camp to shelter villagers and displaced families and more recently was designated as an official sub-district. The town is busy and full of life. The surrounding area is famous for its tourist attractions, which are unique among Kurdistan’s many treasures and has the best rice products around. It is also located close to the border with Turkey and connects the Barzan area to Amadiya, making it a sensitive location for the Barzani tribe. There are several Turkish military and intelligence bases nearby, which are visible to everyone in the area.

As a result, many of its villages have been evacuated and farmers forced to abandon their land because of the recent escalation in violence between the Turkish military and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The people of Shiladze are terrorized and families in the area have lost dozens of loved ones in Turkish airstrikes since 1994. The people here, justifiably, feel betrayed by both the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Government of Iraq, who stand by as Turkish warplanes and artillery threaten their families and damage their livelihoods.

These citizens have been abandoned by both governments for decades. The victims of the airstrikes are not registered as martyrs by either government and their grieving families are, therefore, deprived of government support. Many others face difficult economic conditions. The unemployment rate is considerably higher than in other districts in Duhok.

The public services in the area are very poor. There are still hundreds of families living in tents and in unregulated housing areas that are not connected to the public grid. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which controls Duhok governorate, does little to invest in the area to solve its economic problems or fix its infrastructure.

The feeling of abandonment is reflected in the politics of the area, with residents edging away from the parties that have failed them in the past. In recent elections, Shiladze recorded a smaller percentage of the vote for the ruling KDP than other parts of Duhok governorate, with opposition parties winning a considerable number of votes instead. When teachers began striking for the rights and salaries that they were owed, Shiladze was the first town in Duhok to join the region-wide demonstrations.

The combination of the war between Turkey and the PKK and the oppression of the KDP has turned this beautiful area into the Swat Valley of Iraq.

That is why last Saturday the people of Shiladze, after being ignored for so long by the authorities in Erbil and Baghdad, acted on behalf of themselves and their families and stood up to the Turkish military presence that has been illegally perched on a hill overlooking their town since the 1990s. It is not too late for the Iraqi Government to side with the people and end the bloodshed of our people at the hands of Turkey.

When I was in Shiladze during the election campaign, I went to a political event at a local café to support New Generation candidate Sipan Amedi, a first-time candidate running for parliament in his home province. I was not sure whether the event would end peacefully because the KDP has a record of trying to turn every event that they do not control into a riot by sending agitators to disrupt proceedings. Thankfully, no one was hurt when a KDP supporter accosted the candidate.

After the event, I stuck around to listen to what the café’s owners and other locals wanted to talk about. I found that there are many educated and talented young people in the town who are desperately looking for opportunities, but there are few outlets for them to express their creativity and put their skills to use. Several of the youth I spoke with said that they are working as journalists at some of the local outlets in Shiladze. This is very rare for Duhok, which is fully controlled by the KDP, a political entity with a long history of censoring any outlet that operates beyond its control. As a result, these local channels are mostly dedicated to sports and entertainment and not political issues.

As I watched events unfold in Shiladze on Saturday, I thought of the people I had met there and about the young people who, despite being abandoned and ignored by their governments, are nevertheless finding ways to stand up for themselves. While not all days are as dramatic, the people of Shiladze fight for their rights and dignity at every turn as teachers and students, young journalists and café owners, or simply as citizens engaged in the democratic process. I hope that myself and my fellow lawmakers can live up to their example and do right by the people of Shiladze.