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Kurds Reluctant to Send Troops to Baghdad
10.2.2007
By Frman Abdulrahman and Fazil Janeeb in Sulaimaniyah
(ICR No. 211, 9-Feb-07) |
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February 10, 2007
Decision to deploy Kurdish
troops in Baghdad as part of new security plan is
unpopular in the north.
Since Tuba Ali's son Sarko left Sulaimaniyah for
Baghdad last month to take part in the new security
plan for the capital, she rarely misses a television
news bulletin, anxious for the latest on the
troubled city.
Ali, 48, says she is very upset that her son is
getting involved in the campaign to end Baghdad’s
sectarian violence. "Kurdish forces should not have
been deployed [there] because we don’t have anything
to do with the.. city," she said.
A 3,000-strong contingent of Kurdish troops will
form part of the Iraqi army deployment in the city,
but Kurds in the north are not happy about their
involvement. They say restoring stability to Baghdad
is not their concern and fear they may be dragged
into a sectarian conflict.
So far, Kurds - who comprise about 17 per cent of
Iraq's population - have stayed out of the
predominantly Sunni-Shia conflict ravaging the
capital and much of the country.
The Baghdad military operation, involving tens of
thousands of US and Iraqi troops, is the latest
attempt to deal a blow to the insurgents and
militias that are holding the city to ransom.
Azmar Abdullah, 27, a soldier from Sulaimaniyah,
told IWPR just before leaving for the capital that
he would go wherever his commanders told him, but
had reservations about the Baghdad mission.
"This is a useless war because you don’t know whom
you will fight and how they will confront you," he
said. "They are invisible enemies."
Kurds believe their soldiers will be up against it
in the capital because they’re unaccustomed to
fighting in urban environments and are considered
American collaborators by the insurgent groups.
Brigadier Anwar Dolani, chief of the Sulaimaniyah
units in the army, said he was not optimistic about
the security plan, but felt Kurds should take part,
nonetheless. "I'm not happy with going to Baghdad,
because Ba’athists and terrorists will accuse us of
fighting Arabs and will encourage people to hurt
us," he said.
The Kurdish commander said his troops have not been
told what they will do in Baghdad, as the
authorities have kept details of the plan secret to
prevent it being sabotaged by insurgents and militia
groups.
"We will do our best not become a part of the
sectarian war," said Brigadier Dolani, "We are the
Iraqi army and we are going to protect all Iraqis:
Kurds, Sunni and Shia."
Nonetheless, there remains unease within Kurdish
military ranks about the mission, and there have
been reports of desertions. Kurdish commanders
dismiss these accounts, but IWPR has been able to
speak to one deserter.
"I deserted as soon as I heard the rumour [about
Kurdish troops being sent to Baghdad] a month ago,"
he said. "I don’t believe in a war that has no
benefit for the Kurds."
He also believes that the Kurds will fare no better
than US troops in bringing stability to the capital.
"American soldiers failed despite all their
resources," he said.
But Rebwar Kareem, professor of political science at
the University of Sulaimaniyah, said that Kurds have
a duty to serve in Baghdad because “they are part of
the country”.
Kareem feels its important for Kurds to show that
they are prepared to protect Iraq, warning that not
doing so will reflect badly on their community. He
says the Arab media will be quick to criticise them
if their commitment falters, and insists that those
who suggest that Kurdish soldiers not go to Baghdad
are divorced from reality.
Ali, though, believes that her son may end up making
an unnecessary sacrifice. “I'm afraid my son will
die for a place that no Kurd wants to give his life
for," she said.
Frman Abdulrahman and Fazil Janeeb are IWPR
contributors in Sulaimaniyah.
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