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Kurdish troops ready to provide military
assistance to US forces in Baghdad
5.4.2007 |
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Kurdish troops in Baghdad have undergone intensive
training alongside U.S. soldiers to confront the
possibility of a civil war in Iraq.
April 5, 2007
Erbil, Kurdistan region (Iraq), -- Kurdish
soldiers from Erbil, who were sent to Baghdad to
secure the Iraqi capital as part of the new security
plan, have not yet engaged in combat operations but
are to work alongside U.S. forces in the near
future.
It was the Kurds who fought alongside U.S. troops in
2003 to topple Saddam Hussein's regime.
The soldiers left their bases in Kurdistan Region
Five weeks ago and have since undergone intensive
training in preparation for urban combat.
Although it is not yet clear if their task will be
confined to the protection of government and
civilian buildings or street combat, their aim is to
help in restoring peace to the city of 6 million,
which has been ravaged by violence.
"We are all pleased. that the American trainers are
satisfied with our capabilities. Moral is high and
we believe we can bring peace to the Iraqi people,"
Lt. Hazhar Sadulat, of the Kurdish ground forces,
told The Globe in a phone interview from Baghdad.
"We received training from U.S. forces and were
trained in all kinds of anti-terror tactics," he
said. The training included shooting from behind
doors and barricades, and how to use different
weapons and rockets. The air force also took part in
the training.
The new Baghdad security plan, which began in early
February, is part of U.S. President George W. Bush's
new Iraq strategy. The level of violence has risen
to alarming levels over the past few months, raising
fears that it could develop into a civil war.
Extremist Sunni insurgents and Shiite militias are
believed to be responsible for the sectarian
violence in the country.
Two Kurdish brigades from Erbil and Sulaimaniyah,
who are under the command of Iraq's Defense
Ministry, are to take part in operations in the
capital. The two battalions made up of nearly 3,500
soldiers are to be deployed for three months and
then replaced by other units.
Iraqi and U.S. troops are currently doing
neighborhood-to-neighborhood search operations to
clear Baghdad of insurgents and local militias.
"We are part of the Iraq Defense Ministry. We are
not here to fight. Our intention is to keep the
Shiite and Sunni insurgent apart" said Capt. Peshko
Darbandi, a unit commander with Kurdish troops in
Baghdad.
"All the soldiers on our base are Kurds and all of
them are in excellent form. The only problem is that
they are a long way from their homes and families,"
he said. "We have no problem. We're just homesick
and I miss my mother," he said.
He added that the residents of the capital are happy
to see the Kurdish troops helping to restore peace
as soon as possible.
The Kurdish Globe
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