Sorting through statements on the new security plan
Al-Mada devotes prominent space this morning to countering rumors. The paper says there have been reports that the units from the north will actually be units of the Kurdish Peshmerga militia, quoting Kurdish and Iraqi Defence Dept officials to the effect that is not the case: The units are regular units of the Iraqi army, and they will not be under any kind of Kurdish or Peshmerga control. The Defence Dept official said there won't be any militia units participating in the new Baghdad security plan, and he specifically mentioned the Peshmerga and the Badr Corp of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq.
On a related issue, the Al-Mada reporter says there have been Turkish press reports of a large contingent of Peshmerga militia moving on Kirkuk in order to strike against Turkman assets there. He quotes the governor of Kirkuk to the effect this is not the case. The governor said this is a case of terrorist groups, with the cooperation of others, trying to stir up fitna.
New Sabah, for its part, says officials of the Sadrist movement (Shiite) and the National Dialogue Front (Sunni) have both expressed support for the new Baghdad security plan. But this support is qualified in the following ways: The Sadrist official said there are two kinds of armed groups, those that originated in legitimate self-defence, and these groups will "automatically disappear" once the state succeeds in establishing security; and those that are essentially terrorist. (In other words, the new security plan shouldn't target us). The Dialogue Front person said the Iraqi forces still aren't qualified to act on their own, hence the need for assistance from the multinational forces, but this should be "temporary". Both of these officials are merely repeating what the respective groups have said before. (The Sadrist position outlined here; and the Sunni position here, where a Sunni spokesman conditions his approval on the Americans accompanying the Iraqi forces in this, to ensure neutrality). The point is that neither of these "expressions of support" should be read to indicate the new plan has any kind of unifying meaning.
On a related issue, the Al-Mada reporter says there have been Turkish press reports of a large contingent of Peshmerga militia moving on Kirkuk in order to strike against Turkman assets there. He quotes the governor of Kirkuk to the effect this is not the case. The governor said this is a case of terrorist groups, with the cooperation of others, trying to stir up fitna.
New Sabah, for its part, says officials of the Sadrist movement (Shiite) and the National Dialogue Front (Sunni) have both expressed support for the new Baghdad security plan. But this support is qualified in the following ways: The Sadrist official said there are two kinds of armed groups, those that originated in legitimate self-defence, and these groups will "automatically disappear" once the state succeeds in establishing security; and those that are essentially terrorist. (In other words, the new security plan shouldn't target us). The Dialogue Front person said the Iraqi forces still aren't qualified to act on their own, hence the need for assistance from the multinational forces, but this should be "temporary". Both of these officials are merely repeating what the respective groups have said before. (The Sadrist position outlined here; and the Sunni position here, where a Sunni spokesman conditions his approval on the Americans accompanying the Iraqi forces in this, to ensure neutrality). The point is that neither of these "expressions of support" should be read to indicate the new plan has any kind of unifying meaning.
posted by badger at 10:37 AM
1 Comments:
Good work - both this and your preceding postings on this topic.
Bit of background information that might help your readers as the go through this and your earlier postings (and alas many of your future postings too.) Baghdad's population includes about a million Kurds. There's really no "Kudish Quarter" per se. There are neighbourhoods where Kurds predominate but they're more enclaves within respectively predominantly Sunni/Shia quarters than anything else and thus very difficult to defend.
God have mercy on them after the first atrocity against either sect committed by the Pesh/green zone government Regiment that just happens to be the Pesh in uniform.
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