(Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) - The predominantly Kurdish city of Kirkuk is claimed by the Iraqi Kurds as their capital, but Iraq's Arab governments have long sought to force out the Kurds and "Arabize" the oil-rich area. According to official Iraqi figures, Kirkuk's Kurdish population fell from 47% to 38% during the period from 1957 to 1977. At the same time, the proportion of Arabs rose from 28% to 44%.
2002-10-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive