HARKIS

Harkis: translation

(Herkis)

The Harkis are a major Kurdishtribethat historically crossed the borders with their flocks between theOttomanandPersian empiresand also had a notorious reputation for raiding and looting. According to certain old Nestorian accounts, the Harkis had once beenChristiansand still carried with them the head of one of the several Saint Georges of Eastern Christianity as a palladium in a chest.

In more recent times, the Harkis were consideredjosh("little donkeys") since they opposedMulla Mustafa Barzani. In 1994, a portion of the Harkis helped ignite the civil war between theKurdistan Democratic Party(KDP) and thePatriotic Union of Kurdistan(PUK) in northernIraqwhen it switched its allegiance from the KDP to the PUK in return for support regarding territorial claims. In March 2003, Jawhad Harki, the Harki chief and long ajosh, defected to theKurdistan Regional Governmenton the eve of theU.S. attack against Iraq.