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JERUSALEM, Israel
Dec 1 (AFP) - 15h06 - Dozens of former Israeli
commandos have been training Kurdish security forces
in Kurdistan (northern Iraq), supplying them with
equipment worth millions of dollars, an Israeli
newspaper reported Thursday.
Over the past 18 months, these ex-commandos, who
were sent to Iraq by several Israeli corporations
including Motorola Israel, have been training
special security units as part of a programme
organised by the Kurdish authorities, the
top-selling Yedioth Aharonot daily said.
They have also been involved in the secret
construction of a major airport near the northern
town of Erbil, known as "Hawler International".
Operating from a secret desert stronghold dubbed
Code Z, these former Israeli soldiers, all of whom
have elite-unit experience, have been training the
Kurds in weapons, self-defence and anti-terror
techniques, the paper said.
As part of the programme, the Israeli firms have
supplied the Kurds with tonnes of
Israeli-manufactured equipment, including dozens of
motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (AVTs), sniffer
dogs, devices for upgrading Kalashnikov rifles,
flack jackets, uniforms and helmets.
The Israelis entered Iraq through its northern
border with Turkey posing as construction engineers
and agricultural experts, the paper said.
A shroud of secrecy has been imposed on the project
for fear the Israelis could be targeted by Iraqi
militant groups and either kidnapped or killed.
Speculation that Israeli agents have been operating
in Iraq's Kurdish areas has been rife for over a
year, but has never been confirmed.
Aside from Motorola Israel, the report also named
Magal Security Systems as being involved in the
Kurdish training programme. There was no immediate
comment from either company on the report.
AFP
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