Anger mounts on decision to deploy Kurdish militias in Baghdad

News Type: Event — Seeded on Mon Jan 8, 2007 12:48 PM EST

Article Source: Azzaman

world-news, us, usa, occupation, civil-war, baghdad, us-policy, mahdi-army, sectarian-conflict, irag, peshmerga, kurdish-militias

Seeded by Keld Bach

Kurdish leaders have decided to deploy their own militias in the current fighting in Baghdad where government troops aided by U.S. forces have launched yet another campaign to secure the restive city.

Kurdish militias have not yet arrived in Baghdad but sources said their deployment was expected to coincide with the stationing of at least 20,000 more U.S. troops in the city.

It will be the first time for Kurdish armed groups to fight in Baghdad and specifically against their co-religionists, Arab Muslim Sunnis. The majority Kurds are Sunni Muslims.

In a sectarian-tainted city like Baghdad it will be hard to see whether the Kurds will put up a fight amid religious decrees from top Iraqi Sunni clerics, many of who are Kurds, banning taking arms against the resistance and denouncing U.S. troops and the Iraqi government.

The Mahdi Army itself is a sworn enemy of the Kurdish Peshmerga militias and is currently spearheading resistance of Kurdish moves to annex the oil-rich city of Kirkuk to their autonomous region.

Published to:

Keld Bach's Column, All of Newsvine
Groups: Anti-War, RightsVine
Regions: Iraq , Baghdad

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{"commentId":464605,"authorDomain":"keld"}

Keld Bach

{"commentId":464605,"threadId":"66406","contentId":"511272","authorDomain":"keld"}

1 vote

#1 - Mon Jan 8, 2007 12:53 PM EST

{"commentId":464613,"authorDomain":"ISPY"}

I SPY

It will be a total blood bath now if it is not already. Its actually hard to imagine how to make it worse. Full credit to Bush, this will certainly leave Iraq totally broken. The "Surge will just mean another 1000 US dead troops. I am now convinced he wants WW3. Nothing could be worse than inciting a three way civil war than this. The Arabs will combine to Slaughter the Kurds and then they will return to killing each other as now. In the Cross Fire will be US troops. If the Three decide to Join forces to drive out the Invaders, they Could go on to other destinations, like Israel.

{"commentId":464613,"threadId":"66406","contentId":"511272","authorDomain":"ISPY"}

5 votes

#2 - Mon Jan 8, 2007 1:00 PM EST

{"commentId":464640,"authorDomain":"keld"}

Keld Bach

Looks like the real battle starts now. Strange that I haven't seen this in any MS media. The Kurds might want to help the US to go after the Mahdi Army. Otherwise I don't know what the purpose could be. Time will show soon enough...

{"commentId":464640,"threadId":"66406","contentId":"511272","authorDomain":"keld"}

3 votes

#2.1 - Mon Jan 8, 2007 1:12 PM EST

{"commentId":464674,"authorDomain":"keld"}

Keld Bach

There's a short notice in the Guardian:

Three more Iraqi brigades are to be sent to Baghdad over the next weeks. Two of those brigades will be made up of peshmerga fighters from the Kurdish north of the country, which is likely to prompt questions about their effectiveness. Kurdish leaders have shown a desire to remain outside the sectarian violence escalating between Sunni and Shia communities to the south

The Kurdish militia has been trained by the Israelis for the past two years, so they are probably quite fit for fight.

{"commentId":464674,"threadId":"66406","contentId":"511272","authorDomain":"keld"}

4 votes

#2.2 - Mon Jan 8, 2007 1:26 PM EST

{"commentId":464758,"authorDomain":"ISPY"}

I SPY

So an Independant American Kurdistan. It does not sound good.

{"commentId":464758,"threadId":"66406","contentId":"511272","authorDomain":"ISPY"}

3 votes

#2.3 - Mon Jan 8, 2007 2:05 PM EST

{"commentId":465002,"authorDomain":"aneckelmann"}

Alex Neckelmann

Chill seeded the article from Guardian that you talked about. I still don't think it's a good idea to get the Kurds in there, they will just make enemies.

{"commentId":465002,"threadId":"66406","contentId":"511272","authorDomain":"aneckelmann"}

2 votes

#2.4 - Mon Jan 8, 2007 4:01 PM EST

{"commentId":465145,"authorDomain":"tschreck"}

tschreck

bbbbrrrang

the sound of @!$%# hitting the fan.

this in no way can be a good thing.

{"commentId":465145,"threadId":"66406","contentId":"511272","authorDomain":"tschreck"}

2 votes

#3 - Mon Jan 8, 2007 5:10 PM EST

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KELD BACH

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Anger mounts on decision to deploy Kurdish militias in Baghdad

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