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Barzan Area
Barzan - Kurdo , March 1, 1992
The two red arch-shaped UN-tents on the bottom left of this snow covered hill gives a better view of its background where the remains of the destroyed Barzan homes make it more visible in the snow.
Every single home was destroyed by Iraqi regime's army after the Kurdish revolt collapsed in 1975. From 1975 till the beginning of the Gulf War of 1991, Saddam systematically depopulated, deported, and killed more than hundred thousands of Kurds all over Kurdistan, including them were an estimated over eight thousands Barzanis who their whereabouts are still unknown.
All the small towns, villages, inhabitants located 20 miles deep along the borders of Turkey, Iran, and Syria were destroyed as an excuse for creating a safe buffer zone along the Kurdistan borders. By all accounts , Saddam's regime destroyed around 4,500 villages and small towns in Kurdistan from 1975 to 1990 .
All their people either forcefully settled in guarded concentration camps along main roads in nearby big cities like Sulaymaniy , Hawler, or were deported to the southern deserts along the borders of Jordan and Saudi Arabia. In addition to forced settlements, an estimated two hundred thousands Kurds are still missing and believed they were massacared by Iraqi regime.
The UN, after the Gulf War, started resettling whomever survivors managed to return to their homeland.
Long Over Due Break
Barzan - Kurdo - March 1, 1992 - Photo made up of two shot
These two armed Kurdish men were taking an assured rest across from their destroyed village, nearby this beautiful blue river in Bahdinan . They came back after Iraqi army was defeated in the Gulf War in 1991 and had lost control in Kurdistan.
The two men, for the first time after 17 years, came back to visit their destroyed village and decided to settle where they born and call home. Western allies and UN helped create a Safe Haven and No-Fly Zone for Southern Kurdistan after the Gulf war.
Road To Home
Barzan - Kurdo , March 1, 1992
This photo shows how the roads have been destroyed by Iraqi regime's army. Our Jeeps had gotten stuck there in the muddy road for hours till we managed to get out of that impassable road. The trip took us ten hours to get back to Sulaymaniy from the border town of Zakho.
