Iraqi Kurd forces bar army from Syria border area
Maliki is afraid that a change in regime in Syria which favors the Sunnis would strengthen the Sunni bid in Iraq, so he tried to move a (majority Shia) Iraqi army unit to control the border with Syria that is in the disputed regions but is controlled by Kurdistan. This was off course met with fierce resistance from the Kurdish side since it is out only border point with Syria, and with the developments in Syria it is of utmost importance that we control it. In an unlikely development the Iraqi 12th brigade has met with Peshmerga officials and has shows their support to the Peshmerga rather than to Maliki.
ARBIL, Iraq — Iraqi Kurdish security forces have prevented soldiers sent by Baghdad from reaching a disputed north Iraq area that borders Syria, a top Kurdish security official said on Friday.Soldiers from the 10th Iraqi army division on Wednesday "tried to go from the Rabiyah area to the Zimar area, and the 8th Brigade of the (Kurdish) peshmerga prevented them," Jabbar Yawar, a top official in the Kurdish ministry responsible for the local peshmerga security forces, told AFP.Yawar said that the Iraqi army division had been sent to protect the Iraqi-Syrian border.The Fishkhabur crossing with Syria is located in Zimar, which has been controlled by the peshmerga since 1992, but its long-term ownership is disputed between the autonomous Kurdistan region and Baghdad.Rabiyah is in Nineveh province which borders parts of Kurdistan.Asked why the soldiers sent by Baghdad were prevented from reaching the area, Yawar said that "their coming was not coordinated, and these are disputed areas."He noted that there are both peshmerga and border police in the area, and said that additional forces were not needed as it is secure.Relations between the federal government in Baghdad and Kurdish authorities in Arbil are at a low ebb over multiple festering disputes, and Kurdish president Massud Barzani has supported efforts to pass a no-confidence motion against Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...6d7e6a2f044.81
I doubt the Turks would use that as a pressure point, since it goes against their own interests. Besides, the Kurdish leadership has shown no signs of backing down and has infact sent more troops to the border point. There is no way in hell the Kurdish leadership will give up the only border point we have with Syria and will go to lengths (i.e. military confrontation) to defend it. All nearby villages have been evacuated of women and children. As the Peshmerga ministry stated, Baghdad should worry about defending the 300 km border they have with Syria which has allowed terrorists to freely cross Iraq rather than try and defend a 15 km border point.
Maliki has been suffocating the Sunnis and they are eagerly waiting for a regime change in Syria. They won't just stand by as he puts his own shia men on the borders either.
It seems you call Kurds Sunnies when it's profitable. In all other cases they are simply Kurds when you mean Kurdistan. Don't forget that for people who really make decisions religion is a path to power and they well understand the things. There will be no Shia vs. Sunni for Kurds.Originally Posted by kurdman
I was actually referring to the Sunni Arabs in Iraq. I could not care less of a Kurd was Sunni, Shia, Yazidi, Jewish or Christian.
""Yerevan, July 30, ARMENPRESS: The so-called Free Syrian army soldiers opposed the claims about establishing a Kurdish state in the country’s northern regions and announced that they will allow neither Kurdish nor Christian state to be created.Tariq Hajul who is responsible for the northern regions of the “Free Syrian Army” stated that no separatism will be allowed.“Syria is the fatherland of our. We will not let creation of any Kurdish or Christian state or any separatism”, mentioned Hajul to the Turkish media. ""
So the question is .what will happen to the kurds and christians specially the kurds since they proclaim in some sense autonomy!
Anyway its good that Assad give kurds freedom he allied with them removing valuable pressure off his back.
That was said by Riyad al-Asaad. Thing is, Riyad al-Asaad commands nothing. He never did and he never will. Kurds and rebels are cooperating in Aleppo, or at least leaving each other alone, even though Kurds control their two Kurdish districts. Also when exactly did Assad gave freedom to Kurds? Few days ago his security forces shot at protest march in Qamishli.
"To be honest, the Kurds have not decided who the real enemy is yet, the [Syrian] regime or the Turks," said another Kurdish activist. "Both are threats to our future but we have to decide which is the biggest and we have to know what will happen to us if Assad does fall."
Mr Al Assad has offered concessions to win Kurdish support - or at least entice them to stay out of the revolt - granting citizenship to stateless Kurds in April.
Well in one hand they must show some gratitude to the regime for some freedoms by not participating in the uprising ,but its also good to protect their homes by taking the arms , none would say something about fellow american taking the arms to protect his house would he ?So the level of neutrality is good and even better for Assad. Only Turkey and rebels will lose from this scheme .
http://www.thenational.ae/news/world...he-kurds#page1 nice article very informative i enjoyed reading it.
Last edited by AlienDwarf; 07-31-2012 at 08:42 PM. Reason: forgot article
It is a good article, but outdated. For example, that concession. Only 4,000 Kurds received citizenship. As for Turks, that is given, especially since PYD (which as strong connections to PKK) largely runs YPG (military wing of Kurds which took control of about dozen towns in Syria from government). There is also one danger, since Kurds have taken up arms and clearly not because they want to support government (you do not express gratitude by smashing Bashar and his papa portraits in Baath party central), what will happen if army will be able to take back Aleppo and concentrate once again on countryside? PYD argued that they do not want FSA in their cities because of fear of government response, but they may bring just that by taking matter in their own hands even without FSA presence.
This clown has no power to back up his threats. If the Christians and the Kurds want to force their own states, the FSA wouldn't dare attack and not only split the FSA, but give a chance for Assad to win. If they do, they're stupider than we thought
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote