Your editorial "Obama and Iraq" (Jan. 27) highlights many factors regarding the U.S. strategy in Iraq but neglects to mention the role of the Kurds. Within Iraq, the Kurds have been America's strongest ally in both Iraq's liberation from Saddam Hussein and in the democratic transition after the fall of the previous regime. Our peshmerga forces have fought and died alongside U.S. soldiers combating terrorists in Iraq. The Kurds deeply appreciate what the U.S. has done by ridding Iraq of a regime that employed chemical weapons against us and that was responsible for the death or disappearance of more than 180,000 Kurds.
The autonomous Kurdistan Region is a model for the rest of the country with respect to our culture of tolerance and our commitment to good governance. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is also unwavering in its support for federalism and the Iraqi constitutional process. We are also concerned about any possible trends that seek to accentuate tensions between Arabs and Kurds, whether in Mosul, Kirkuk, Diyala or elsewhere.
The KRG agrees that the drawdown of U.S. forces must be responsible, and driven more by conditions inside Iraq rather than by a timetable. The gains in Iraq over the past year have been substantial, but the politics remain fragile, especially following the provincial elections held on Jan. 31. We still must navigate the referendum on the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement to take place late this summer, and parliamentary elections to be held by the end of 2009. Should there be a U.S. redeployment in Iraq, the KRG is fully committed to working as a partner with the U.S. to ensure security and stability in Iraq.
#2
From day 1, the Kurds should have been wheeling and dealing at a furious pace to insure their rear ends were covered six ways from Sunday. They rate right up there with Jews for being persecuted and hated in the Middle East.
And though they have made some ties with Israel, they should have strongly and openly come out as Israel's second best friend and military ally. This would have caused major shock waves in the ME, as well as some serious realignments of power.
The Kurds should be shaking in their boots right now. While it was good that they spent their money on economic development, it also means that the Arabs, Turks, Iranians, and Syrians are going to want to steal what they have built.
#3
With all appropriate considerations for their many blemishes, blah blah blah, this sort of letter tragically confirms that the Iraqi Kurds have more honor and sense of responsibility about the sacrifices of American blood than about half of Americans themselves. As a special forces friend has said since 2006, the biggest challenge to morale is now "why bother?", when large parts of the country and most of the "elites" are indifferent or hostile to their efforts and sacrifice.
Complaints of cheating among rival parties in Saturday's provincial elections have threatened to boil over into violence in Anbar.
Official figures from the polls have yet to be released, but the Iraqi Islamic Party, a Sunni group which holds seats in the national parliament, said unofficial tallies showed it would retain control of the province.
The claims triggered immediate accusations of fraud from tribesmen, many of whom are leaders of the Sahwa, or Awakening, militias which have helped the U.S. military battle al-Qaeda in the province.
The stakes are particularly high in Anbar where a greater majority of Sunni parties did not participate in the 2005 election and many have high hopes of winning seats this time round.
Awakening leaders are threatening to take up arms over what they see as voter fraud at the hands of the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP), Iraq's largest Sunni Arab party which has controlled Anbar since 2005 polls mostly boycotted by Sunni Arabs.
Anbar was under curfew for a night and Maliki sent an envoy there to meet with local security forces and urge calm.
Preliminary results are expected on Thursday but final results will not be released until the end of the month, when electoral officials have finished investigating any complaints.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Aswat al-Iraq: Police forces on Wednesday arrested six men, who are wanted on criminal and terror-related charges, in Basra province, the media office of Basra's police said on Wednesday. "Police forces conducted a raid search in different parts of Basra, during which six wanted men were arrested," the office told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. "The forces seized 1.5 kg of TNT explosives," it noted. "It also seized 10 rifles, hand grenades, pistols and an amount of ammunition and arrested more than 30 wanted men from Jan. 28- Feb. 3," it added.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Aswat al-Iraq: Basra’s Umm Qasr port on Wednesday received one passenger ship, according to the Iraqi ports department’s relations & information chief. “Today, Umm Qasr port received a Jordanian passenger ship,” Abdelkareem al-Basri told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I was looking for a cheap cruise to break the winter blues.
Aswat al-Iraq: Two civilians on Wednesday were injured when an explosive charge detonated near a U.S. patrol vehicle in eastern Mosul, according to a police source. According to the same source, another explosive charge targeted a police patrol in Bab al-Toub area, downtown Mosul, causing no casualties.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/05/2009 00:00 ||
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Aswat al-Iraq: The police have found a large cache of Iranian-made weapons in western Tikrit city, according to a security source. "The cache was found in a village near al-Tharthar Lake in western Tikrit in light of intelligence reports," the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. "The caches included anti-armor missiles, mortars, an amount of explosives, Katyusha launch pads, and remote control detonators," the source noted. "Police forces arrested three wanted men, who led the security apparatus to six other wanted men," the source added.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/05/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
But but but ... Tikrit is a Sunni town. The Sunni couldn't possible cooperate with Iran.
#2
Weapons are fungible, Glenmore. Even assuming that Sunni militias don't cooperate with Iran (a position I don't take, FWIW), Sunni and Shia militias certainly do from time to time. I wouldn't be surprised if Iranian-made EFPs show up in Turkey any day now, used by terrorists in that perennial Turkish-Kurdish COIN clusterfuck.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
02/05/2009 10:30 Comments ||
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#3
Took the snark right out of my mouth, Glenmore.
And this is no small matter. The bizarre, delusional, obsessive belief that Shi'a and Sunni outfits and regimes don't/won't cooperate against us and other enemies is central to the fantasy world in which so many nominal adults exist, incl. in the intel and foreign policy communities.
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Your editorial "Obama and Iraq" (Jan. 27) highlights many factors regarding the U.S. strategy in Iraq but neglects to mention the role of the Kurds. Within Iraq, the Kurds have been America's strongest ally in both Iraq's liberation from Saddam Hussein and in the democratic transition after the fall of the previous regime. Our peshmerga forces have fought and died alongside U.S. soldiers combating terrorists in Iraq. The Kurds deeply appreciate what the U.S. has done by ridding Iraq of a regime that employed chemical weapons against us and that was responsible for the death or disappearance of more than 180,000 Kurds.
Complaints of cheating among rival parties in Saturday's provincial elections have threatened to boil over into violence in Anbar.
Aswat al-Iraq: Police forces on Wednesday arrested six men, who are wanted on criminal and terror-related charges, in Basra province, the media office of Basra's police said on Wednesday. "Police forces conducted a raid search in different parts of Basra, during which six wanted men were arrested," the office told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. "The forces seized 1.5 kg of TNT explosives," it noted. "It also seized 10 rifles, hand grenades, pistols and an amount of ammunition and arrested more than 30 wanted men from Jan. 28- Feb. 3," it added.
