January 10, 2007 In the chaotic Iraq conditions, Turkey, after USA and Britain, is the country suffering most losses. Moreover, Turkey is losing civilians rather then military personnel. More than 100 Turkish citizens have lost their lives in Iraq. Even in the face of this figure, due to very high unemployment conditions, thousands of workers […]
January 10, 2007
In the chaotic Iraq conditions, Turkey, after USA and Britain, is the country suffering most losses. Moreover, Turkey is losing civilians rather then military personnel.
More than 100 Turkish citizens have lost their lives in Iraq. Even in the face of this figure, due to very high unemployment conditions, thousands of workers risk their lives to go to Iraq to put bread on the table at the end of the day.
Workers, mostly from the southeastern part of Anatolia cities of Adana, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa top the list of laborers seeking employment in Iraq. Adana has close to 5,000 and Şanlıurfa 700 workers in Iraq. These workers mostly work in building trades, iron works, cooking and driving.
While previously travel by driving used to be the transportation of choice, due to attacks and killings, recently workers started to choose flying over driving.
The workers in Iraq labor for 4 months before they are allowed to take a two week vacation.
Tens of Turkish workers had already lost their lives in Iraq before the recent airline crash in Baghdad that cost the lives of more than 30 workers. Yet, the unemployment conditions still forces people to risk their lives to find employment in occupied neighboring country Iraq.
Even though Turkey is not fighting on the side of the occupier US in Iraq, she has lost more lives than others only behind US and Britain.
Source: NTV
