Kurdish forces refuse to quit Iraq battlefield province (ignore Iraqi gov't request)

[sabra]

Source: AFP

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq (AFP) — Kurdish commanders Wednesday refused orders to pull their troops out of Kurdish-populated areas of ethnically divided Diyala province, challenging the authority of Baghdad.

The 4,000 strong brigade will withdraw only when ordered to do so by the president of the Kurdish autonomous region in northern Iraq, Massud Barzani, its commander General Nazel Kirkuki told AFP.

"The commander of Iraqi ground forces, General Ali Ghidan, asked us to withdraw our forces from the north of Diyala province on August 10 but we've received no order from the presidency of autonomous Kurdistan," Kirkuki said.

"We have a brigade deployed in the Saadiya, Qara Tapa and Jalawla districts and we are not budging because so far we've received no orders from the (Kurdish regional) presidency to withdraw."

Read more: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gX7P5Deqq8WE-z-Hht-6FlVCxzLw

[maddezmom]

1. oh boy

:eyes: So are they part of Iraq or not?

[atreides1]

2. The Surge is Working

[Xithras]

3. I still don't get why we didn't just let it break up.

Kurdistan is only a part of Iraq because the British forced them to join the country, virtually at gunpoint. They speak a different language, have a different culture, and have a different history than the rest of the Iraqi people. More importantly, they have no respect for the Iraqi government and want to rule themselves.

Why not let them?

[amandabeech]

4. Our alleged NATO allies, the Turks, would have a fit.

We still have an airbase at Incirlik, which would surely be gone if we let the Kurds in Iraq have their own country. It would inevitably end up making a grab for eastern Turkey where their fellow Kurds live, much to the chagrin of the Turks.

Right now, that base, which is just south of Georgia, looks pretty good. However, it is only as good as the access that Turkey will allow.

I expect that we'll get a read on that shortly. Our C-17s will near air cover and maybe a support base if we do fly humanitarian or other aid into Georgia. If the Turks refuse, well, it sort of tells you where they are, Russian bear or not.