Ethnic and religious divisions in Iraqi Army and police units are undermining efforts to hand over security to native forces.
This is the story I was chasing when I got unceremoniously evicted from Iraq by the U.S. Army in February. I managed to finish the story, however, and it ran in yesterday’s Washington Times:
Firefights, mortar attacks and roadside bombings attributed to a combination of Sunni insurgents and disaffected locals continued unabated in and around Balad in the wake of the transfer of control, leading to the reassignment of the Kurdish battalion from the relative security of Iraqi Kurdistan.
The large Sunni minority living around Balad has protested the Kurdish unit’s presence, said U.S. Army Lt. Col. David Coffey, a member of an ad hoc military transition team that is helping train the Kurdish battalion.
He said the residents have resisted the presence of the Kurdish battalion with such force that commanders are afraid to let the soldiers leave their base, which is adjacent to a U.S. compound outside the city.
Read the full article here.
– David Axe
No Army of One
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Gee, the Kurds aren’t getting a little payback going for years of Sunni oppression?
I’m sorry but Sunni complaints don’t mean much to me. I expect them to complain. Once you’ve had the whip in your hand not having it is rather disconcerting, I suspect.
I think the problem he is identifying is that the Sunni’s are doing a little more than complaining about it…. Like blowing things up, and murdering people.
Normally the problem is how to make red necks understand what they see infront of them or what they have done. But the problem will become much more difficult when at least most of the leadership are red necks. When most of the population are red nicks the problem will be harder and harder. When most of the components of such a society are such idiots the only solution will be a miracle. This is when the world will be free from the slaves of the freemasons and the jews.
As intelligent life started in Iraq, I do not think Allah will leave it to be finished by those stooges of the devil and their slaves; the american soliders and their shoes the Peshmerga and (the Iranain)AlBader brigades.
In case you still can not get it, go and liberate your country first, then try to admit your crimes at least between you and yourselves, then talk about your role in the world, let us see how bright it is. Try to take the one eyed dollar note, as it is the sign of the devil of your forefathers the Freemasons not the Christians as you have easily led to beleive. This is what you have been serving ever since spreading death and destruction camflaged by technlogy, wealth and Christianty. Apart from targetting the entire earth why your leaders want to place weapons on the moon? Even if there are compelling reasons to destroy your country, all of the nations of the earth combined can not defeat your country, so ask yourselves why all of this wasteful military spending?
The least you can learn from the above is know yourselves and your country first before passing judgements agaisnt others and their countries. Get out of Iraq now.
Jaafer: It’s commonly thought and accepted in the absence of new data that the oldest hominid arose in Africa before spreading across the planet. Your “intelligent life started in Iraq” spat is either hubris or bigotry. While the Fertile Crescent civilizations are some of the older, maybe oldest, I doubt it deserves the full on “smart people started here”.
I was worried that your post was some prankster American kid but realized few Americans even remember what the Freemasons are.
At a minimum, I’m glad to see you’re not in bed with Iran.
Jaafer, it’s not the Freemasons who run things. You’ve just had the wool pulled over your eyes. It’s those damn Decepticons.