Kurdish fighters, routed by better-armed extremists, may get US weapons after years of pleas

[Constitutional Paulicy]

Kurdish fighters, routed by better-armed extremists, may get US weapons after years of pleas
Ken Dilanian / The Associated Press
August 8, 2014 09:05 PM

In a bitter irony, the extremists used American armoured vehicles and weapons they had seized from the hapless Iraqi military to defeat Kurdish fighters who were blocked from acquiring just such equipment, U.S. and Kurdish officials said.

The U.S. sought to halt the extremists' advance Friday with airstrikes, but Kurdish officials also say Washington has promised to begin sending them arms. Pentagon officials say their policy hasn't changed — they will only sell arms to Baghdad.

That raises the question of whether the CIA has begun providing weapons in secret to the Kurds, something U.S. officials will neither confirm nor deny. The CIA declined to comment on whether it was sending arms.

But whether or not a covert program is underway, a growing number of voices are calling for the U.S. to begin openly and speedily arming the Kurds.

more here... http://www.timescolonist.com/kurdish...leas-1.1304618

[Brian4Liberty]

Poor Obama. How to pretend that Iraq is a success, and help the Kurds at the same time? No doubt he'll do everything by Executive Order. Hail King Obama!

[69360]

I can live with sending arms to the Kurds. They are an ally, generally good people and we really screwed them after Iraq war 1.

How about Obama starting Iraq war 3 and promptly boarding Marine 1 to go on vacation?

[pcosmar]

I can live with sending arms to the Kurds. They are an ally,

How so?

an ally to what exactly?

[thoughtomator]

If you were working on a theory that US foreign policy exists exclusively to keep the MIC in business, you're probably collecting a lot of solid evidence to back it up these days.

[nobody's_hero]

I can live with sending arms to the Kurds. They are an ally, generally good people and we really screwed them after Iraq war 1.

So if we supply the Kurds with better weapons, and then some even worse group than ISIS walks by and bitch slaps the Kurds and takes all the equipment like ISIS did to the Iraqi army, what then?

[Uriel999]

So if we supply the Kurds with better weapons, and then some even worse group than ISIS walks by and bitch slaps the Kurds and takes all the equipment like ISIS did to the Iraqi army, what then?

Profit of course.

[69360]

How so?

an ally to what exactly?

They fought on our side in gulf war 1 and got shafted afterwards then still fought on our side in the second invasion of Iraq. Regardless of my view of the necessity of the second invasion, they are without a doubt an ally.

So if we supply the Kurds with better weapons, and then some even worse group than ISIS walks by and bitch slaps the Kurds and takes all the equipment like ISIS did to the Iraqi army, what then?

Possible but unlikely. Historically the peshmerga have been badass. They have stood their ground against Saddam, plus Turkey and Syria even in the face of chemical attacks.

It's not a perfect solution.

[juleswin]

I can live with sending arms to the Kurds. They are an ally, generally good people and we really screwed them after Iraq war 1.

How about Obama starting Iraq war 3 and promptly boarding Marine 1 to go on vacation?

I don't quite understand the whole uber support for the Kurds around these parts, they are our allies because they sold their arabs brothers out. The Shia and Sunnis fighting an illegal invasion is somehow seen as unbecoming of a people and the group that welcomed and collaborated with the invaders are seen as somehow virtuous. I would support with my money anyone fighting the western backed jihadist thugs terrorizing different groups of people in Iraq and Syria. I wont just wake up when they threaten the beloved Kurds.

[Constitutional Paulicy]

This isn't about helping the Kurds. It's about helping oil interests that moved into the region after the war. The icing on the cake for the powers that be is they can increase arms sales along the way. Win win.

Ironically this region was where the first oil was discovered in the middle east in 1908. It was a predominately Kurdish region at the time as well. England and Russia began carving up territory for exploitation, and Standard Oil in the US wasted no time musseling in on the opportunity.

My my, how times have changed.

[pcosmar]

They fought on our side in gulf war 1 and got shafted afterwards then still fought on our side in the second invasion of Iraq. Regardless of my view of the necessity of the second invasion, they are without a doubt an ally.

Bull $#@!
They fought on their own side for their own reasons..
They were doing so when we were providing Saddam with the Gas he used on them.

We used them. and screwed them afterwards.

They are not allies. We may have a common enemy for the moment,,(or maybe not)

[69360]

Bull $#@!
They fought on their own side for their own reasons..
They were doing so when we were providing Saddam with the Gas he used on them.

We used them. and screwed them afterwards.

They are not allies. We may have a common enemy for the moment,,(or maybe not)

What's BS? Two entities fighting a common enemy together are allies. The reason doesn't really matter. It's not like the Kurds will turn on us and attack our troops.

[pcosmar]

What's BS? Two entities fighting a common enemy together are allies. The reason doesn't really matter. It's not like the Kurds will turn on us and attack our troops.

I was thinking of us turning on them again.

They would be much better off to ally with the Locals.. Or at least come to acceptable terms.

We financed and armed ISIS. We created ISIS.
if you seriously think we are fighting them now you are a blithering fool.
Any attacks against them are strictly show.

I have some sympathy for the Kurds.. but they should have never accepted the puppet government of Iraq and should have declared independence before the Iraq elections.

[acptulsa]

It's not like the Kurds will turn on us and attack our troops.

I guess you missed all that news from Syria.

ISIS are our troops, dude.

We're rather past straightening out the mess we made. There really is nothing left for us to do but GTFO. Assuming, of course, the U.S. has any national conscience left.

[56ktarget]

Obama has the fewest executive orders out of any president. Nice try though.

[juleswin]

Obama has the fewest executive orders out of any president. Nice try though.

And yet he said this during the campaign about EOs



At least he cant claim that he was naive

[acptulsa]

Obama has the fewest executive orders out of any president. Nice try though.

I just never negrep people except in retaliation. But I really don't like liars. So, I'm forced to make an exception.

There have been twenty-five presidents who issued fewer executive orders than Obama has. And Obama is the only one who isn't done yet.

[56ktarget]

Correction- post ww2 prez

[Brian4Liberty]

I don't quite understand the whole uber support for the Kurds around these parts...

"Uber" support? Where? As a primary poster of Kurdish news on this forum, I see it as something that is not reported at all by the US media. And I post it as neutral information.

As far as ISIS attacking the Kurds at their homes, ISIS is clearly in violation of the NAP. The Kurds are on the defense, quite similar to the people in east Ukraine being attacked by their own government. What is your angle? Do you support ISIS invading and killing people in their homes?

[alucard13mm]

Iraqi minorities are fleeing to... *gasp* Syria! I guess they feel safer under Assad.

Assad never makes threats towards USA. I see him as neutral.

[acptulsa]

Correction- post ww2 prez

Now you're letting Dubya's daddy, ex-CIA head George H.W. Bush make you look like a lying ignoramus.

Why would you let that bastard do that to you? I would never let that bastard do that to me.