One writer dutifully recounted the killing of the governor of Sulaimaniya, a Kurdish town in the north.

It sparked a joyous celebration outside the nearby Kurdish town of Chamchamal.

Kurdish towns had narrower streets and were more crowded, reminding me of the Arab world to the south.

It is also this time that the Iraqi military infamously used chemical weapons on Kurdish towns.

The impasse is frustrating efforts to coax the Kurds back to Iraq, as a visit to another Kurdish town illustrated.

Britain today abandoned efforts to pass a resolution critical of Iraq for its attack on the Kurdish town of Erbil a week ago.

A bus station in the predominantly Kurdish far-eastern town of Kars.

In early 1992, violent demonstrations broke out in several Kurdish towns in western Iran.

March 1988: Iraq is accused of shelling Kurdish towns, including Halabja, with chemical weapons.

This is the most fertile area of the region, where most Kurdish towns and cities are located.