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Iraqi Kurdistan Region under increasing
threat
17.5.2007
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May
17, 2007
Erbil, Kurdistan region (Iraq), -- Two
high-profile bomb attacks targeting Kurdish
institutions this month have drawn attention to
security in the region, which had escaped much of
the violence plaguing other areas in Iraq. But
threats against the Kurds from Al-Qaeda and other
insurgent groups have been growing.
The Kurdistan region government's (KRG) Interior
Ministry was attacked by a truck bomb on May 9,
killing 14 people and wounding more than 80.
Insurgents then targeted the Kurdistan Democratic
Party (KDP) office in Makhmur on May 13, killing 33
people and wounding 60 others. Makhmur is a
Kurdish-populated town lying just outside the
Kurdistan region.
Al-Qaeda Warns The Kurds
The Islamic State of Iraq claimed responsibility for
both attacks in Internet postings. In a statement on
the May 9 attack, the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group said
the attack came "in response to the participation of
the apostate peshmerga forces with the Safawi [a
reference to the Shi'ite-led government in Iraq]
government of [Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri] al-Maliki
in the so -called 'Baghdad law enforcement plan.'"
Addressing Kurdistan region President Massoud
Barzani and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, the
group promised more attacks, adding, "We will not
stop attacking you until you withdraw your
mercenaries from the Baghdad province and cease to
support the Crusaders [U.S.-led coalition forces]
and the Safawis."
The Islamic State of Iraq first warned Kurdish
soldiers against taking part in the Baghdad security
plan in January. "We tell you that the martyrs
brigades of the Islamic State of Iraq, particularly
the Ansar martyrs [a reference to the terrorist
group Ansar Al-Islam, whose bases in Kurdistan were
crushed by a U.S. bombing campaign in the opening
days of the war] cannot wait to confront you as to
speed your arrival in hell," an Internet statement
said.
The Iranian Connection
According to Kurdish Aspect, a source from within
the Kurdish peshmerga said that Ansar Al-Islam and
the Ansar Al-Sunnah Army are reorganizing their
ranks and deploying their forces along the Iran-Iraq
border. Kurdish leaders have also attributed recent
attacks against Kurdish forces in the town of
Penjwin to Ansar Al-Islam, saying the group moves
freely across the Iran-Iraq border.
Kurdish security sources told local media that the
KRG was on alert for a terrorist attack in the days
preceding the two incidents, based on intelligence
that included detained terrorists' confessions, as
well as the discovery of weapons caches.
The offices of Kurdish political parties in the
nearby Mosul Governorate have come under increasing
attack in recent months, particularly offices
belonging to the KDP, which is Kurdistan region
President Barzani's party. KDP official Khasro Goran
said insurgents were trying to goad the Kurds into a
sectarian war, "Al-Zaman" reported on May 1.
Kurdish officials in Erbil undertook new security
measures in all three governorates in mid-April
following the attacks along the border. One of the
measures was the construction of a tunnel and
security barricades to segregate Erbil from Kirkuk
and Mosul, "Gulf News" reported.
In an apparent response to the Erbil attack, the KRG
dispatched 1,000 troops to the Iranian border to
help drive out Ansar and Al-Qaeda militants
stationed there, according to May 10 media reports.
Meanwhile, local residents told newspapers that the
militants had threatened non-Muslims. Leaflets
circulated in towns inside Sulaymaniyah Governorate
said the militants are "hunting down those who have
converted" to Zoroastrianism and Christianity.
Getting Out The Message
Observations of websites and forums frequented by
insurgents in Iraq and their supporters suggest that
indeed, the Islamic State of Iraq and Ansar
Al-Islam/Sunnah are attempting to gain a foothold on
areas in the north. Apart from their stated claim of
seeking retribution against the Kurds, their
presence in the north would provide them with a
valuable gateway for foreign fighters and supplies
through the porous Iran-Iraq border.
While Kurdish military officials have in recent days
openly acknowledged insurgent traffic across the
border, KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani
reportedly raised the issue of insurgents crossing
the Iran-Iraq border during his visit to Iran, which
included a meeting with Iranian President Mahmud
Ahmadinejad. Kurdistan TV reported on May 11 that
the KRG and Iran formed a joint committee to address
security issues during Barzani's trip, as well as
the possible KRG purchase of electricity from Iran.
The resurgence of insurgent activity in Kurdistan
can be seen in the plethora of statements appearing
on insurgent websites and forums in recent weeks,
and Kata'ib Kurdistan has issued at least one video
documenting its attacks.
Moreover, Kurdish-language statements have appeared
on forum websites with increasing frequency,
suggesting insurgents may be trying to recruit
Kurdish fighters to join their cause.
Just The Beginning?
The frequency of attacks against Kurdish targets
both in the Kurdish region and neighboring
governorates to the south suggest that Kurds will
remain under fire for some time to come. The
potential consequences of an Al-Qaeda/Ansar campaign
would be devastating to the region's economy,
stability and governance.
It could prompt Turkey to carry out plans for a
large-scale incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan to hunt
down PKK militants based there. Or worse yet, Turkey
might take steps to secure Turkoman control over
Kirkuk, a move that would evoke a violent reaction
from Iraqi Kurds.
Moreover, any instability may prompt the Kurds to
rethink their hospitality to thousands of Iraqi
Arabs, both Sunnis and Shi'a, who have sought refuge
in recent months from conflict areas farther south.
According to the Iraqi Red Crescent, more than 5,000
Iraqi families, or 30,000 people, have registered as
refugees in the city of Erbil over the past two
years, "The Christian Science Monitor" reported on
April 17.
Should the KRG decide to no longer host its Arab
brethren, the displaced will be hard-pressed to find
refuge. Newspaper editorials suggest growing public
pressure on the KRG to do just that.
rferl org
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