Kurds push US to arm them directly

[Little Tich]

Source: Yahoo! News / AFP

Washington (AFP) - The leader of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region insisted Friday that the United States should arm his forces fighting the Islamic State group directly instead of passing though the federal government in Baghdad.

At the end of a week-long visit to Washington to lobby for support, Kurdish leader Massud Barzani thanked President Barack Obama's administration for its support but reiterated his demand that weapons be shipped directly to his troops.

Barzani said the central government had not honored a deal struck in 2007 between US, Iraqi and Kurdish commanders that Kurdistan's peshmerga militia receive its share of US military aid from Baghdad.

"We eventually ended up having the peshmerga not receiving a bullet or a piece of weaponry from Baghdad," he told reporters.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/kurds-push-us-arm-them-directly-215951743.html

[Scootaloo]

1. This would require the US to essentially recognize an independent Kurdistan

Which would fuck over any remaining diplomacy with iraq, piss off Turkey, and maybe even throw a wrench in our talks with iran.

The Kurds also sadly do not realize that the US does not worry overmuch about Daesh, simply Daesh' impact on our satrap state in Baghdad - anywhere else, and Daesh can do whatever it wants.

[Little Tich]

3. The Peshmerga have already proved that they can fight successfully against IS.

They are asset that is ready to be used, all they need is weapons. From what I understand, there is less reluctance now from the other actors in the neighbourhood to arm the Peshmerga than previously. Turkey is already providing training for Peshmerga forces, and I think Iran has provided them with some arms.

I think the sheer necessity of helping the Peshmerga breaks down some of the reluctance to provide support.

[Scootaloo]

4. I think you severely misunderstand the US plan for the middle east

[Little Tich]

5. I didn’t know The US still had a functional Grand Strategy for the Middle-East.

It seems to me as if the US is currently only reacting to events.

[Scootaloo]

6. Once tomatoes are grown, you don't have to keep planting them

Just tend them, harvest the produce you want, weed occasionally.

[JonLP24]

16. By saying nothing to Saudi Arabia?

Time for a regime change for Gaddafi but not for the House of Saud? Could it have something to do nationalizing the oil? At-least with both the Iraq government & KRG US oil & gas industries have contracts. Oh there is certainly a grand strategy in play, as long as reacting means getting the orders restocked with private defense contractors.

[Demeter]

7. The Peshmerga have no intention of being "used"

And everyone knows it. The US only supplies its puppets and its masters. The US has no intention of creating a new nation that could rival Israel; the Israelis won't stand for it.

[7962]

8. Actually the Kurds are "accused" of being close with Israel. They're not a rival.

Both Iran & Syria have been critical of the Kurds for the relations with Israel.
There is no good reason for not helping a group that has never fought against us. None.

[Demeter]

9. EVERYONE is a rival to Israel

Israel is the personification of paranoid. And its behavior has made it no friends, so the paranoia is justified.

[7962]

10. No, Israel actually assists the Kurds. They're viewed favorably.

The Kurds have even helped Israel over the years. The Kurds and Israel understand each other because they are so similar; small populations with neighbors that dont like them.
Again, there is no good reason to NOT be helping the Kurds. They have always backed us and they're dependable fighters.
Israel has nothing to do with the decision. If you know of some information that shows otherwise, I'd like to see a link to it.

[hack89]

13. Israel is providing military aid to the Kurds

They are natural allies

[JonLP24]

15. KRG is liberal

Notable given that the US supports right wing governments and militias but they aren't even a rival to Sunnis. They helped the highest elected Sunni official escape a political prosecution from Al-Maliki on anti-terrorism laws which got him the death penalty in a trial the took place without him. Helped him get exile in Turkey & they have also provided refugee camps for Iraq's & Syria's displaced where most people are just trying to escape the violence & oppression from both governments.

The Saddam show trial was held in Kurdistan the first judge showed too much impatience & respect ended up quitting because of way too much pressure -- the next judge showed the right amount of impatience the new Iraq government was looking for.

[Kurska]

11. We should be arming them out of principle.

If the US won't do it, I hope Israel starts doing it. They'll have a lot of 2 generation out of date assault rifles sitting in warehouses in the form of the Galil once they finish switching over to the the tavor in 2017.

It would be a start.

[jakeXT]

12. Obama administration seeks to alter bill that has caused furor in Iraq

The Obama administration has launched a campaign on Capitol Hill aimed at scrapping a legislative measure that has outraged the Iraqi government and led a senior Shiite cleric to threaten the mobilization of a powerful militia that could threaten U.S. troops.

The House measure, tucked into an early version of an annual defense bill, would require the Pentagon to set aside at least a quarter of up to $715 million in military assistance to Iraq for support to Kurdish peshmerga forces and Sunni tribal fighters.

The bill also proposes deeming the peshmerga and certain tribal fighters “a country” so they would be eligible to receive direct U.S. military aid against the Islamic State in the event that Iraq’s central government in Baghdad does not take steps to sufficiently empower them.

The government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was particularly incensed by the use of the word “country,” which goes to the heart of the decades-long dispute over the degree of autonomy enjoyed by Iraq’s Kurdish region. Iraqi Kurds have gained significant political clout since 2003, but they continue to clash at times with Iraq’s central authorities and have threatened to hold a referendum on independence.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-administration-seeks-to-alter-bill-that-has-caused-furor-in-iraq/2015/05/06/db8c71c4-f404-11e4-84a6-6d7c67c50db0_story.html

[Spitfire of ATJ]

2. Sorry. The CIA only send M-16s to criminals to overthrow elected governments.

[JonLP24]

14. They're right if he giving Kurds arms by first giving them to the Iraq government

because they won't find their way to Kurdistan. If the purpose is to arm them, then the arms should go directly. Out of everybody the US supports KRG has a low record on human rights violations but this article highlights the overall need for a political solution