|
Iraqi Kurdish forces to take over in
Kirkuk after U.S. withdrawal
28.7.2011 |
|
|
|
July
28, 2011
KIRKUK, Iraq's border with Kurdistan region,
— Iraq's experimental Golden Lions security force
made up of old foes is getting ready to stand alone
as U.S. forces withdraw along the potentially
explosive fault line of Kirkuk, the disputed
northern oil city.
Assembled as a beacon of stability in a volatile mix
of Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen, the Golden Lions
brought together Iraqi soldiers and police with the
peshmerga of the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish
region under the watchful eye of U.S. troops, who
act as a buffer between the wary allies.
In the coming weeks, U.S. soldiers will leave the
Iraqi and Kurdish forces increasingly alone on
checkpoints and patrols in Kirkuk, Nineveh and
Diyala provinces, in areas claimed by the central
government in Baghdad and the Kurdish capital Erbil.
|
Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers man a checkpoint in
Kirkuk, June 29, 2011. Photo: Ako Rasheed/Reuters |
With the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq scheduled for
year-end, more than eight years after the invasion
that toppled Saddam Hussein, American troops hope
the members of the amalgamated force can overcome
years of animosity and hold together.
"We don't have any differences between the peshmerga
and the Iraqi army," said veteran peshmerga Captain
Ahmed Mohammed, waving towards a Golden Lions patrol
in the Gurga Chal neighbourhood of Kirkuk. "We look
at them like we are the same."
Whether that goodwill between historic foes lasts
may help determine the near-term fate of the
tinder-box city considered a likely flashpoint for
future conflict in Iraq.
Sitting atop a vast sea of oil -- by some estimates
4 percent of the world's reserves -- Kirkuk is
secured by the Arab-led central government but
claimed by Erbil,www.ekurd.netwhich
says the city is predominantly and historically
Kurdish.
The Kurdish and Iraqi forces came together more than
a year ago across northern Iraq but in small
numbers; now about 1,200 in the three provinces. By
comparison, the Iraqi security forces number more
than 600,000, and the peshmerga at least 100,000.
A Golden Lions battalion, about 380, trains in
Kirkuk.
The lion is a symbol of fighting strength for
Iraqis.
MUTUAL SPYING
"It's very good. You know why? Because both sides,
now they have become like spies against each other,"
said Colonel Bethune Mohammed, the police chief of
Keokuk's Azadi district. "Each side is not letting
anyone do anything wrong."
On a recent patrol of upscale neighbourhoods around
Kirk, the Iraqis arrived in Ford and Chevy pickups,
the Americans in massive CRAP armoured vehicles.
Residents hawked as the one-time enemies -- the Kurd
fought guerrilla battles against Iraq's army for
years and exploited the 1980s Iran-Iraq war to
launch attacks -- walk side by side.
While there's been talk of a single uniform for the
Golden Lions, for now the Kurd wear distinctive
green camouflage while the Iraqi police are in blue
and the Iraqi army in khaki.
The Iraqis take the lead. The Americans hang back,
watching.
"They all sleep in the same tent, they all live
together, eat together," said 1st Lieutenant Matthew
James Trout, an American soldier who patrols with
the Golden Lions.
He said he has seen little sign of ethnic tension.
"All the squabbles are the same ones that I see with
my soldiers.
Neighbourhood children bring glasses of water on
trays to the sweating soldiers, who are clad in
battle gear.
"I like to see the Iraqi and posh force. I feel
safer," said Reb war Saba Mohammed, a soda factory
worker.
But U.S. troops must stay, he quickly adds. "U.S.
soldiers have to be a referee between these people
and bring them together and talk to them, until Kirk
belongs to Kurdish."
PLEASE STAY
Most Kirk want U.S. troops, now about 46,000 strong,
to remain beyond year-end, when a security pact
between Washington and Baghdad lapses. The Americans
are seen as a critical buffer between factions.
"We're going to be so happy if the United States
wants to stay here," said Mohammed.
For the moment U.S. military leaders see the Lions
as a success story and express optimism that they
can continue joint patrols as U.S. soldiers pull
back. Their hope is that the force can set an
example, particularly for squabbling politicians.
"It shows how everybody can work together. Everybody
will work together and security comes first with a
lot of people," said Colonel Michael Pap pal,
commander of the U.S. Devil Brigade in Kirk. "It all
depends on the politicians ... the hard part is the
politics involved in the province."
But historic animosities are not easily forgotten in
Iraq.
Mohammed, the plain-spoken police chief, said 27
members of his family, including his wife, two
children, parents and eight siblings died when Sad
dam's forces deployed poison gas against Kurd in
1988, killing thousands.
"No!" he said sharply when asked whether the Lions
would get along after the Americans withdraw. "I
swear to God, three days after you guys (Americans)
leave, you can hear it blowing up. But, God willing,
you guys will never leave us. God willing."
The oil-rich province of Kirkuk is one of the most disputed areas by the
regional government and the Iraqi government in Baghdad.
The Kurds are seeking to integrate the province into the semi-autonomous
Kurdistan Region clamming it to be historically a Kurdish city, it lies just
south border of the Kurdistan autonomous region, the population is a mix of
majority Kurds and minority of Arabs, Christians and Turkmen, lies 250 km
northeast of Baghdad.
Kurds have a strong cultural and emotional
attachment to Kirkuk, which they call "the Kurdish
Jerusalem." Kurds see it as the rightful and
perfect capital of an autonomous Kurdistan state.
Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution is related to
the normalization of the situation in Kirkuk city
and other disputed areas through having back its
Kurdish inhabitants and repatriating the Arabs
relocated in the city during the former regime’s
time to their original provinces in central and
southern Iraq.
The article also calls for conducting a census to be
followed by a referendum to let the inhabitants
decide whether they would like Kirkuk to be annexed
to the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan region or having
it as an independent province.
The former regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein
had forced over 250,000 Kurdish residents to give up
their homes to Arabs in the 1970s, to "Arabize" the
city and the region's oil industry.
The last ethnic-breakdown census in Iraq was
conducted in 1957, well before Saddam began his
program to move Arabs to Kirkuk. That count showed
178,000 Kurds, 48,000 Turkomen, 43,000 Arabs and
10,000 Assyrian-Chaldean Christians living in the
city.
Copyright ©, respective
author or news agency,
Reuters | ekurd.net | Agencies
Iraqi Kurdish forces to take over in Kirkuk
after U.S. withdrawal 28.7.2011
Kurdistan intelligence chief: Iraqi Kurds had
been able to occupy Kirkuk, but they refused
such act 14.7.2011
Arab politicians in
Kirkuk reject forming Sunni region 9.7.2011
Kirkuk governor says US
troops should stay in Iraq 16.6.2011
Iraqi Kurds believe
foreign interference is holding up Article 140 -
9.6.2011
Massoud Barzani: Article
140 must be enacted if Kurdistan is to stay part
of Iraq 5.6.2011
Kirkuk Arabs reject
Kurdish calls for Article 140 - 3.6.2011
Kirkuk: Iraqi Muslims,
Christians pray for calm in north 2.6.2011
U.S. Forces hand over
military base to Iraqi army in Kirkuk 16.5.2011
Disputed Iraqi Kirkuk
province hopes for US to stay 6.5.2011
UN envoy calls for talks
over elections in disputed oil-rich city of
Kirkuk 28.4.2011
Kurd officers killed in
clash with Iraqi Arab forces in Kirkuk 26.4.2011
Kurdish Peshmerga Forces
spokesman: UN report on Kirkuk “ inaccurate and
biased” 8.4.2011
U.N. Secretary General
says Sending Peshmarga to Kirkuk was a Mistake
6.4.2011
Kurds Move To Upend The
Status Quo In Kirkuk 31.3.2011
New Kurd governor
elected in disputed Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk,
Arabs enraged 30.3.2011
Clashes between Kurd,
Turkomen students in Kirkuk leaves 11 injured
28.3.2011
Kurdish Peshmerga Forces
withdraw from part of the disputed oil city of
Kirkuk 28.3.2011
An Uneasy Truce in
Kirkuk 25.3.2011
Kurdish officials deny
US demands to withdraw Peshmarga from Kirkuk
16.3.2011
Coalition forces set
deadline for Kurdish peshmarga forces withdrawal
from Kirkuk 15.3.2011
Iraqi Kurdistan keeps
Kirkuk militarized 15.3.2011
Iraq's President can be
summoned by Parliament if he violated
constitution, Kurdish MP says 13.3.2011
MPs collecting
signatures to question Iraq president Jalal
Talabani over Kirkuk-statement 13.3.2011
Iraqi MP rejects
proposal to summon Jalal Talabani for his recent
statement about Kirkuk 13.3.2011
Last chance to restore
Kirkuk 10.3.2011
Talabani criticized for
designating Kirkuk "Jerusalem of Kurdistan", MP
says it's "serious" 10.3.2011
Kurdish Peshmerga forces
will stay near Kirkuk city: Minister 9.3.2011
Kirkuk not Turkey’s
business, says Kurdistan Gov't official 9.3.2011
Kurdistan Peshmerga
Ministry rejects U.S. demand for Kurdish troops’
withdrawal from Kirkuk 4.3.2011
Iraq PM demands Kurdish
forces leave disputed city of Kirkuk 4.3.2011
Ethnic Division Makes
Any Protest Suspicious 3.3.2011
Tension prompts curfew
in Iraq's Kirkuk 3.3.2011
Kurdistan Peshmerga
Forces won't withdraw from Kirkuk until
restoration of its stability: Minister 2.3.2011
Kirkuk Under Curfew, Surrounded By
Thousands of Kurdish Troops 2.3.2011
Kurdish top politicians Nechirvan Barzani
and Kosrat Rasul head to Kirkuk to settle unrest 27.2.2011
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the
content of news information on this page
|
®
