Kurds Screwed Again – Nobody Very Surprised
So now that the US obviously feels it no longer really needs a Kurdish military distraction in the north of Iraq, I note that Colin Powell has concluded an “agreement” with Turkey. Apparently, there are already Turkish military “monitors” in Kirkuk, and Powell is going to allow more Turks there. They are there to check that no more Kurds move into Kirkuk – an oil-rich area from which they were brutally ethnically cleansed by the old Iraqi regime during an “Arabization” drive a couple of decades ago. So the Kurd’s big prize of Kirkuk, the only city in that region that doesn’t sell dried cattle dung as its primary export, is going to be snatched away from them in their moment of victory. I wonder whose responsibility it will be to lean on the Kurds if they disobey their marching orders?
Secretary of State Colin Powell said Thursday he had reached an accord with Turkey to have Kurdish forces pull back from Kirkuk … Powell agreed that Turkey could send a small group of monitors into Kirkuk, but said he told Gul the United States would take care of having the Kurds pull back … presidential spokesman Ari Fleischer confirmed that the United States had authorized Turkey to send a “small number” of observers into Iraq. He said he did not know how many observers would be involved and was vague about what they might do. “They will observe what is observable”.
Update: Turkey says it had an “understanding” with Bush Gang that Kurds would not occupy Kirkuk. This slant says it’s basically a Turkish military deployment:
Washington had pledged to keep the Iraqi Kurds out of Kirkuk. “They failed to keep their promise,” said a senior Turkish official yesterday. “We have reminded them of their guarantee,” said Abdullah Gul, the Turkish foreign minister. “We have told them that we are willing to contribute if they haven’t got enough forces. They have said that they are sending new forces within a few hours and that Kurds will be withdrawn.”
Earlier here.