Kurdish gen.: brigade trains for Baghdad

[maddezmom]

By YAHYA BARZANJI, Associated Press Writer
3 minutes ago



KIRKUK, Iraq - An Iraqi army brigade based in the northern Kurdish region is undergoing intensive training in urban combat and will be dispatched to Baghdad as part of a new joint U.S.-Iraqi security drive in the sprawling and violence-ridden city, the commander said Saturday.

The brigade is one of two coming from the Kurdish region and a third brigade will come from southern Iraq. The second Kurdish brigade will come from the northern city of Sulaimaniyah.

"We will head to Baghdad soon. We have 3,000 soldiers who are currently undergoing intensive training especially in urban combat and how the army should act inside a city," said Brig. Gen. Nazir Assem Korran, commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade, 2nd Division of the Iraqi army that is based in the city of Irbil.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, in his first comments on the new Bush administration plan for restoring security in Baghdad, said the proposal was "identical to our strategy and intentions."

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070113/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[Monkeyman]

1. Can you say Bush you nut case Civil War

[Missy M]

2. Now that ought to throw some gasoline on an already out of...

control fire.

[rodeodance]

3. says the Kurds do not speak Arabic.

Korran said his troops would face a language barrier because 95 percent of the brigade is Kurdish and unable to speak Arabic. Kurds, a separate ethnic group, are largely Sunnis but not Arabs.

"I believe that we will bring translators with our brigade to solve this problem," he said.

The general said his troops were part of the Iraqi army and do not belong to local Kurdish militias, known as peshmergas, as some Iraqi media reports have claimed.

"We do not represent any sect or ethnic group," Korran said. "I believe that the plan will include street battles with militias in residential areas. It could also include raids that are needed to wipe out terrorists elements and militias."

[sanskritwarrior]

6. Actually many Kurds do speak Arabic

Saddam required it........The younger generation don't speak it as well, but many of the Peshmerga do as they are former Iraqi Army members. Not Republican Guard of Special republican guard, the Kurds were only deemed good enough for theregular army, just like most Shiites.....

[bemildred]

4. Brilliant.

Like a recruiting campaign for the Mahdi Army and the Baathist resistance.

[madrchsod]

5. irbil---this is very interesting

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irbil
Arbil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/irbil.htm
Irbil

they do not fly the iraqi flag at their new international airport....

[daleo]

7. Reminds me of Tienanmen Square

The Chinese government brought in troops from the hinterland before the slaughter, because they didn't trust the local garrison to be willing to kill wantonly enough.

[IndianaGreen]

8. The Kurds have made their share of enemies among the Sunnis and Shias

and the US is sending the infamous peshmerga militia into Baghdad. This will only succeed in inflamming an ethnic conflict involving the Kurds and their Arab and Persian neighbors.

Whoever thought of this idea should be shot!

[VegasWolf]

9. Is Bush completely fucking nuts? nt

[Joanne98]

10. Kurds train for fight AP

Kurds train for fight
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

January 14, 2007

BAGHDAD - A Kurdish army brigade from Irbil in northern Iraq is undergoing intensive urban combat training for deployment to Baghdad, where it expects to take on the Mahdi Army Shia militia, its commander said yesterday.

"We have 3,000 soldiers who are currently undergoing intensive training especially in urban combat and how the army should act inside a city," said Brig. Gen. Nazir Assem Korran, commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade, 2nd Division of the Iraqi army.


He said that he did not know how the operation would unfold but that the Defense Ministry had asked his brigade to work with thousands of other Iraqi and U.S. troops to clear the city of Sunni Muslim insurgents and local militias such as the Mahdi Army of radical Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has been an ally of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/ny-woiraq145052214jan14,0,1256785.story?coll=ny-worldnews-print

The Kurdish area was just too damn peaceful.

[Joanne98]

11. Play the flash game (Gulf War Two)

http://www.idleworm.com/nws/2002/11/iraq2.shtml

We should have hired this guy to run the war.

[rocktivity]

12. Sorry to hear that AP

But given your sycophantic coverage of the Bush monarchy, maybe you've had it coming!

:dunce:
rocknation

[TexasLawyer]

13. The Kurds may need to defend US troops

from the heavily Shia Iraq army if the US kills or arrests revered Moktada al Sadr.

[Joanne98]

14. If the Kurds help kill Sadr, It will put them at war with Iran and Hellzbollah

and the Iraqi Shia in the south. If that happens the Turks will probably use the opportunity to attack them in the north. It's a really stupid thing to do.

[alfredo]

16. Did the Kurds cut a deal for oil? They want the oil in and

around Kirkuk.

[genie_weenie]

18. The Kurds consider Kirkuk their birthright and

ancestral captial of their hoped-for Kurdistan.

[alfredo]

19. I've long believe the Kurds could make or break bush's

efforts in Iraq.

I wonder what they think about the privatization of the oil they feel is theirs?

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

15. No mention of this Kurdish Army needing Translators

as they do not speak the local language of those in Baghdad.

[msongs]

17. was wondering when the kurds would whey in nt