The Kurds, ISIL, and Iraq's Icosahedron Triangle (L'Orient Le
Jour, Lebanon)
"Who wants
the Kurds? Hardly anyone. Who picks on them? Almost
everyone: Assad's Syria, Erdogan's Turkey, Ali Khamenei's Islamic Republic, Nouri al-Maliki's Iraq, all
for obvious reasons. In contrast, one can search in vain for Barack Obama's justification
of desertion (just the latest such occasion) - who it seems has chosen to allow
ISIL to capture one city after another that U.S. GI's
paid for in blood, and which cost the Yankee taxpayer tens of billions of
dollars. … At a certain point, however, one had to consider whether between the
Islamic State (jihadists) and the Kurds, things were progressing too quickly and
with almost too much ease, like a scenario developed by agreement between two
parties who share being Sunni, suffering at the hands of Saddam Hussein, and a hatred
of Maliki."
Pushing the Kurds to battle the Islamic State, like John Kerry did
a few weeks ago, and which was imitated by senior Iranian diplomats, is one
thing. Responding to their call for help is another. Today, the Peshmerga
give the impression of being at the forefront of resistance to the men of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Abandoned by all, starting with the central
government, while one of their own - what irony - is head of state! [President JalalTalabani] Friends, as we know, are like a wonder
battery that wears out only when used.
Who
wants the Kurds? Hardly anyone. Who picks on them?
Almost everyone: Assad's Syria, Erdogan's Turkey, Ali
Khamenei's Islamic Republic, Nouri al-Maliki's Iraq,
all for obvious reasons. In contrast, one can search in vain for Barack Obama's
justification of desertion (just the latest such occasion) who it seems has chosen
to allow Daech [aka/ISIL] to
capture one city after another that U.S. GI's paid for in blood, and which cost
the Yankee taxpayer tens of billions of dollars. For the benefit of its
Republican opponents, the White House has announced that it never stopped criticizing
the Iraqi prime minister for the unusual prior arrangements made with the same
old irredentists that today dare ask him to come to their relief. Moreover, the
multiple requests by the Kurds have been flatly denied, the pretext being that
requests for arms and ammunition should be sent to ... the central government.
When you know what state said government is, we understand this isn't simply a
polite "no." MansourBarzani,
the head of the Kurdistan security and intelligence services, stated:
"Baghdad has not even agreed to supply us with a single bullet." That's
easy to believe.
A Kurdish Peshmerga
fighter stands guard against ISIL militants:
Has the White House abandoned
these staunch American allies?
Still, the result is a border of nearly 350 miles to defend, now
that the valiant warriors of the powers-that-be have evaporated after
pathetically refusing to fight, abandoning to the enemy their uniforms,
equipment, and even boots and first aid kits. There is no word today to
adequately describe an explosive cocktail composed, according to several
sources, of a group 5 to 10 percent former ISIL elements
(Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, now known as ISIL,
formerly also known as al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia), 70 to 75 percent tribal members,
and 20 percent former Baathists, all cemented by a hatred of the men currently
in power.
Oil that Ignited the Powder
Keg
For the last decade or so, the people of Kurdistan were happily whiling
away their days, open for business and tourists, as well as billions of dollars
that sophisticated investors injected into their economy - investors with an
eye on the millions of barrels of black gold transported via pipeline to the
Turkish port of Ceyhan in Adana Province. Last
June, there were also two million barrels loaded onto two tankers which then
took to sea. Since then, relations have continued to deteriorate, leading up to
the small war (small in appearance, but for how long?), which seems set to
continue and has had the effect, by extending the front lines, of weakening the
defense system along the border with Turkey, Syria, and Iran. On this front,
the uneasy calm has been broken over the past few hours. While the three
countries concerned appeared satisfied to play the role of observers, it was
believed that they were ready to step in at the right time if it would make a
difference.
Posted
By Worldmeets.US
Against this backdrop arrived latest jolts, the most important
being Baghdad's decision on August 4 to use its air force to support the Kurds.
At the same time, we learned that fighters of the Democratic
Union Party of Syria (PYD - a Kurdish party in
Syria) had arrived in the region to lend a hand to their brothers in trouble.
At a certain point, however, one had to consider whether between the Islamic
State (jihadists) and the Kurds, things were progressing too quickly and with
almost too much ease, like a scenario developed by agreement between two
parties who share being Sunni, suffering at the hands of Saddam Hussein, and a hatred
of Maliki.
The events of the last few hours have dealt a serious blow to this crooked
scaffolding. In the Middle East, the situation is not always complex. It can
also be simple. Too simple.
