Israelis trained Kurdish troops in Iraq-BBC report

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L1979854.htm

Israelis trained Kurdish troops in Iraq-BBC report


LONDON, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Former Israeli commandos secretly trained Kurdish soldiers in northern Iraq to protect a new international airport and in counter-terrorism operations, the BBC television reported on Tuesday.

Former Israeli special forces soldiers entered Iraq from Turkey in 2004 to train two groups of Kurdish troops, one of the former Israeli trainers told the BBC's "Newsnight" programme.

...

"My part of the contract was to train the Kurdish security people for a big airport project and for training, as well as the Peshmerga, and the actual soldiers, the army," the former Israeli soldier told "Newsnight".

...

The Kurds' political enemies have long accused them of an alliance with Israel while Israel's critics suspect it wants to use the Kurdish region as a strategic base to get closer to its arch-enemy Iran.

[IndianaGreen]

1. I am sure the Shias and the Sunis will be thrilled to hear this

not to mention Turkey.

[Redstone]

2. But the headline doesn't say "former," does it?

Nice way to twist the news right there, yes?

Redstone

[TomInTib]

4. "former","active" doesn't apply here, Redstone.

"Israeli" is the match to the gasoline.

This was a bonehead move, buddy. They could have used Italians or Aussies to do this if our guys were stretched too thin.

This was fucking stupid and/or needlessly in-their-face or horrifically diabolical.

This bunch just doesn't get it.

[TomInTib]

3. Oh... THIS oughta go over really well.

Holy crap, whose idea was THAT?

[katsy]

5. the trainer-in-chief?

:shrug:

I mean busco* is in charge, no?

[TomInTib]

10. You are correct.

There is no way Israel would have done this without US complicty and assistance (financial, etc.).

As someone with a background in this sort of ops, I am just blown away by this.

What in the hell could they have been thinking?

Or are they so diabollically crazy/cock-sure that they thought this would stay under the radar?

[katsy]

12. I think you hit the nail on the head.

"Or are they so diabollically crazy/cock-sure that they thought this would stay under the radar."

The list of things they believed would never surface is quite long... WMDs, torture, Abu Gharib, warrentless wiretapping etc.

Insane, crazy.

[greccogirl]

6. Why is this a problem?

They probably got good training.

[geek tragedy]

8. They don't like Jews being on the same continent, let alone

in the same country.

[oncall247]

7. Now also remember, Al-Zagawri was in Iraq Kurd territory. This is

the real Al-qaeda link to Iraq before the US invasion. The Kurd-israeli alliance goes back further than 2004 and it was known among intel community that Israeli special op troops were inside Iraq at least 18 months before the US invaded.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[aquart]

17. Well, slap me on the back and call me Karl Rove.

What an exquisite piece of inferential slander blaming 9/11 on the Jews instead of the Arabs without the smallest shred of actual evidence or truth.

My hat's off to you, sir!

[BrotherBuzz]

9. This would not be the first time that Israel has assisted the Kurds...

to advance its own interests. In the late 1960s, Israel, with Iranian cooperation, provided them with substantial assistance in their campaign against Baghdad. Israel has a history of supporting non-Arab minorities in the Middle East as part of a strategy to destabilize hostile regimes.

[Hardrada]

13. How long will these people abuse our patience

With these hare-brained schemes which are bound to blow up in our faces? Or theirs.

[BrotherBuzz]

14. Well, if you can figure out the Kurdistan riddle, you win a shiny dime

I've been watching and reading about the Kurds and have come to the conclusion that it is an even money bet that this region will be ground zero for WWIII. Extra credit if you can guess who attacks whom first. :shrug:

[aquart]

16. Are you talking about the Israelis or the Kurds?

Heaven forfend two peoples who are regularly murdered by their neighbors should band together for the purpose of survival. Bad survival. Bad. Not for Kurds or Jews, no, no.

Harald Hardrada was a very successful mercenary, btw. He always protected the ones with the money.

[aquart]

15. This is really old news.

Why are they bringing it up now? The story is at least as old as the Iraq War.

The first time I heard it, I thought it was so nice that two shunned peoples could help each other out.

Perhaps, I thought, Israel will have a friend and ally in the Middle East.

What part of this is bad?

[Hardrada]

18. Yet another shunned people, the Armenians, whom

(as Adolf Hitler accurately remarked) no one thinks about anymore might think this is pay-back time for the Kurds who were among their chief tormentors in 1915. So that puts a tragic light on this subject. And, wait, I thought the Turks and Israelis were on good terms. But the Turks treat the Kurds as subhuman. How is this going to work out?

[LeftistGorilla]

19. I think Seymour Hersh...

wrote about this over a year ago....