The policies of Saddam Hussein's regime have created a large problem of internal displacement, even in advance of the new war. A deliberate attempt to Arabise the key oil producing centre of Kirkuk has driven Kurdish civilians north into the three northern governorates close to the border with Turkey. The Marsh and Shi'i Arab communities have also been targeted for persecution. A recent study estimated the number of internally displaced people in Iraq at around 900,000, over 300,000 of whom are located in the central and southern regions controlled by the Iraqi regime. The balance are located in the autonomous northern zone.