First The War, Then The Revolution?

BREMER: On the question of the Peshmerga, let me address it as a somewhat broader question relating to militia and armed forces that are not under the control of the central government. We have made clear in discussions with the Kurdish leaders and other political leaders that we believe there’s no place in an independent, stable Iraq for armed forces that are not under the control of the command structure of the central government. Kurdish leaders have understood and agreed with that.

Kurdish leaders in the northern autonomous area are refusing to disband their military forces, the peshmerga, and are pushing for a veto over any deployment of the Iraqi army in their region … Mustafa Sayid Qadir, the deputy commander of the PUK’s peshmerga, said: “After the Irbil attacks, security has become our number one concern. Our history has taught us the risks of leaving ourselves defenceless.”