Let's add some Kurds to the mix!

[This Guy]

"As part of President Bush's new strategy for Iraq, between 8,000 and 10,000 Iraqi troops will deploy to Baghdad from elsewhere in the country in the coming weeks, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials. As many as 3,600 of them could be Kurdish troops."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/14/MNG1TNIE241.DTL

It appears from the article that the only ones that think this is a good idea is the US. The Kurds aren't over joyed, the Sunnis and Shiites are against it.

"I don't think it's wise," said Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish lawmaker in Baghdad. "This is a Sunni-Shiite conflict."

"I advise the Kurdish people to apply pressure on their leaders to prevent this step," said Mohammed al-Dayni, a lawmaker from a main Sunni bloc.
Kurdish forces, he said, "will face firm resistance from both the Sunnis and the Shiites."

Sheikh Abdul-Razzaq al-Nidawi, an aide to anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, agreed that Kurdish troops would not be welcome.
"The Kurds, frankly speaking, consider themselves superior to other Iraqis," he said.

But it seems that we're gonna do it.

Could be interesting. :covereyes

[Darth Rotor]

"As part of President Bush's new strategy for Iraq, between 8,000 and 10,000 Iraqi troops will deploy to Baghdad from elsewhere in the country in the coming weeks, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials. As many as 3,600 of them could be Kurdish troops."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/14/MNG1TNIE241.DTL

It appears from the article that the only ones that think this is a good idea is the US. The Kurds aren't over joyed, the Sunnis and Shiites are against it.

"I don't think it's wise," said Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish lawmaker in Baghdad. "This is a Sunni-Shiite conflict."

"I advise the Kurdish people to apply pressure on their leaders to prevent this step," said Mohammed al-Dayni, a lawmaker from a main Sunni bloc.
Kurdish forces, he said, "will face firm resistance from both the Sunnis and the Shiites."

Sheikh Abdul-Razzaq al-Nidawi, an aide to anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, agreed that Kurdish troops would not be welcome.
"The Kurds, frankly speaking, consider themselves superior to other Iraqis," he said.

But it seems that we're gonna do it.

Could be interesting. :covereyes
I think this is a matter of a bill coming due.

I think the conversation went something like this, at the ministerial level:

"You guys wanted autonomy, your own patch of land, Kurdistan in the making. You now have it. We are supporting you in it. Here's the bill for services rendered. Payment due on receipt of bill."

The reservations Sunni, Kurd, and Shia have over this seem sound.

DR

[fuelair]

"As part of President Bush's new strategy for Iraq, between 8,000 and 10,000 Iraqi troops will deploy to Baghdad from elsewhere in the country in the coming weeks, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials. As many as 3,600 of them could be Kurdish troops."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/01/14/MNG1TNIE241.DTL

It appears from the article that the only ones that think this is a good idea is the US. The Kurds aren't over joyed, the Sunnis and Shiites are against it.

"I don't think it's wise," said Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish lawmaker in Baghdad. "This is a Sunni-Shiite conflict."

"I advise the Kurdish people to apply pressure on their leaders to prevent this step," said Mohammed al-Dayni, a lawmaker from a main Sunni bloc.
Kurdish forces, he said, "will face firm resistance from both the Sunnis and the Shiites."

Sheikh Abdul-Razzaq al-Nidawi, an aide to anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, agreed that Kurdish troops would not be welcome.
"The Kurds, frankly speaking, consider themselves superior to other Iraqis," he said.

But it seems that we're gonna do it.

Could be interesting. :covereyes

I'd have to give the Kurds smart points on this one!.

[Zep]

Surely someone is not going to be bullish and try to force THIS one to go ahead despite excellent and compelling reasons not to??? :eek:

Hasn't Bushco learned ANYTHING about this sort of behaviour over the last 3 years??? :mad:

[Darat]

Surely someone is not going to be bullish and try to force THIS one to go ahead despite excellent and compelling reasons not to??? :eek:

Hasn't Bushco learned ANYTHING about this sort of behaviour over the last 3 years??? :mad:

Perhaps it is hoped to unite the Sunni and Shiite by giving them a common enemy?

[This Guy]

Perhaps it is hoped to unite the Sunni and Shiite by giving them a common enemy?

I thought that was US ;)

[fuelair]

Surely someone is not going to be bullish and try to force THIS one to go ahead despite excellent and compelling reasons not to??? :eek:

Hasn't Bushco learned ANYTHING about this sort of behaviour over the last 3 years??? :mad:

Why no, no they haven't.:jaw-dropp :jaw-dropp :jaw-dropp :jaw-dropp :jaw-dropp

[Mephisto]

Actually it's a GREAT idea - the only thing missing from the whole thing is Kurds, whey and a big spider. :)

[Garrette]

The US is ordering this? I don't think Maliki would feel compelled to comply if we are.

Or is the US suggesting it? If so, I would imagine the reasons having something to do with getting not only more troops but troops with more training and experience and with a command structure that is either not corrupt or is corrupt in predictable ways.

Those reasons do not, imo, overcome the objections, but they are reasons nonetheless.

[This Guy]

The US is ordering this? I don't think Maliki would feel compelled to comply if we are.

Or is the US suggesting it? If so, I would imagine the reasons having something to do with getting not only more troops but troops with more training and experience and with a command structure that is either not corrupt or is corrupt in predictable ways.

Those reasons do not, imo, overcome the objections, but they are reasons nonetheless.

I agree that getting well trained troops (especially non-US types) into the battle areas is a good idea, in general.

I'm not so sure that putting a third unpopular group in with the other two generally opposed groups is a good idea though.

I guess I'm thinking worse case scenario - Kurds on patrol, and on one side of the street are the Sunni's shooting at them, while on the other are the Shiite's doing the same, while at either end of the street are the "bad guys" (who are the bad guys again? I'm once again forced to ask myself, WTH are we doing in the middle of a religious war?).

Anyway, I question the reasonableness of this idea, whether it's a request or a demand. I think that while any troops other than US should be welcomed, I'm not so sure the Kurds are a good idea. But, I'm not there, and have limited understanding of all the little disagreements/issues concerned, so I'm not in a good position to say one way or the other.

[fuelair]

Actually it's a GREAT idea - the only thing missing from the whole thing is Kurds, whey and a big spider. :)

I'm thinking the giant spider suit attached to a volkswagen in Giant Spider Invasion (one of my awful film faves!) would be great in that part!!:D :D :jaw-dropp

[senorpogo]

I was just thinking to myself - I don't think there are enough factions in the sectarian violence in Iraq.

[fuelair]

I was just thinking to myself - I don't think there are enough factions in the sectarian violence in Iraq.

Well we could send them a big load of our Xtian fundies!

[Mephisto]

I'm thinking the giant spider suit attached to a volkswagen in Giant Spider Invasion (one of my awful film faves!) would be great in that part!!:D :D :jaw-dropp

:) It would have to be attached to a Hummer though. Didn't that film star Willaim Shatner?

[fuelair]

:) It would have to be attached to a Hummer though. Didn't that film star Willaim Shatner?
No, but it was about that level. Barbara Hale was IIRC the biggest name in it.
It was terribly funny (literally).:D :D