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| Iraq |
| US troops arrive in Zakhu via Turkey |
| 2003-03-21 |
| Sanandaj, Kurdistan Prov, March 21, IRNA -- The US forces have reportedly started moving to Kurdish inhabitant city of Zakhu in northern Iraq via Turkey. Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Socialist Party envoy in Tehran Sheikh Taher Barzanji told IRNA on phone a little while ago on Friday that the US troops are arriving in Zakhu aboard military helicopters. We have reports that SF is operating with the north now. Maybe they came via Turkey, maybe not. It might even be the 101st, I last heard on Fox that they had moved to staging area. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #7 From where? Helicopters don't have an very long range. 100-150 miles, if they're going to make the round trip. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-03-21 15:19:31 |
| #6 At least some of the photos Murat posted showed M1A2s. mjh, that is exactly what I was getting at. |
| Posted by: Dishman 2003-03-21 14:43:49 |
| #5 As far as I know, the only thing offloaded was support equipment, transporters, hummers, etc. Armor and combat equipment are still on board ships. (Unless they did a end run through Israel and Jordan) |
| Posted by: Steve 2003-03-21 14:22:15 |
| #4 "Technically", they are not allowing US Troops, they are simply moving "supplies" just across the border, near convenient airfields the Kurds control. That allows the Turks to make armed incursions into Kurdish areas, and sets up the US gear, all without letting the politicians screw this up any further. They have been q1uietly offloading the lead elements and command element's equipment since well before this started. The Turks have been convoying them to the border, and then into Iraq - aremd convoys. US Troops will be landed in Iraq nearby, married up with their gear, then attack south. The Turkish military know which side its bread is buttered on - and that unless they help us, they will have a buttload of well armed Kurds ready to liberate their brothers *Inside Turkey*, and no way of entereing N. Iraq to do "Peacekeeping". |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2003-03-21 14:22:12 |
| #3 In Turkey, anything is possible with payment of enough baksheesh. The question is: would any U.S. military operation allow it's equipment to be consigned to a foreign outfit? There is no way for the 4th's train to get fron Iskenderun to Iraqi Kurdistan. Jordan, however, seems to be pretty close to IK.... |
| Posted by: Michael Gersh 2003-03-21 14:17:35 |
| #2 4ID's equipment was offloaded in Iskenderun, no? One point of confusion I have had: TROOPS are not allowed in Turkey. Could we simply contract Turkish shipping companies to move our heavy equipment down into Kurdish territory, and allow our troops to link up w. their equipment once it was there? Is this what you're getting at Dishman? Does the 101st have sufficient firepower to deter any funny business between Kurds and Turks? (Especially without Turkish airspace?) |
| Posted by: mjh 2003-03-21 13:47:06 |
| #1 Anyone want to bet it's 4ID? |
| Posted by: Dishman 2003-03-21 13:29:56 |