"Kurdish Powder Keg Primed To Explode"

[Disturbed]

PKK's Usefulness

The Islamist Maliki government, with its ties to extremist Shi'ite militias and Iran, is no friend of the secular and socialist-minded PKK. But Maliki needs Kurdish support in his battle with former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, whose coalition of former Ba'athists, Sunnis, secular Shi'ites, and disgruntled Kurds that has designs on bringing down Maliki's government. And while the current Kurdistan regional government (KRG) – a coalition of the formerly warring Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party – has no great love for the PKK, the organization is tough and battle-hardened and has become an invaluable ally against a rising tide of Islamism in the Kurdish region.

The United States is hoping the KRG will rein in the PKK. One anonymous Iraqi official told The New York Sun, "The Americans want the Kurds to make their lives easier. They need the Kurdish government to show they are willing to tackle terrorism in the north … maybe alert Turkey of a threat, act on intelligence, arrest some people, make an effort."
However, the KRG has a problem with a growing wave of Islamism in Kurdistan. The PKK is strongly secular – it was formerly the Kurdish Communist Party – and, in a fight with Islamic extremists, it would be an invaluable ally. On top of which, the PKK is widely respected for its long struggle against the Turks, and if the KRG were to turn against the PKK it might not go down well with the average Kurd. Even if the KRG reins in the PKK, it might not be enough for Ankara, because Turkey wants to roll back any movement that would create an independent Kurdistan.

http://www.antiwar.com/orig/hallinan.php?articleid=11150

[Disturbed]

1. Wow! The Craig issue is more important than this.

I guess DUers are as obsessed with sexual issues as the rest of Amerika.