tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post7006898311446476693..comments2024-03-26T16:03:42.608-06:00Comments on Flares into Darkness: Kurds to Baghdad - Go Fishambisinistralhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03836786826294202405noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-4018636990042877832007-04-30T09:26:00.000-06:002007-04-30T09:26:00.000-06:00Totten has a good interview with a Peshmerga colon...Totten has a good <A = _BLANK HREF="http://www.michaeltotten.com/archives/001421.html" REL="nofollow">interview</A> with a Peshmerga colonel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-68850349860467335972007-04-30T07:45:00.000-06:002007-04-30T07:45:00.000-06:00Chuck:Who is sent to interdict when an aircraft i...Chuck:<BR/><BR/>Who is sent to interdict when an aircraft identifies suspicious activity near a pipeline? Is it always our guys or is it primarily Iraqis? It would be good to know the answer to that one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-81049487556888263502007-04-29T23:43:00.000-06:002007-04-29T23:43:00.000-06:00I have not heard about a major pipeline attack in ...<I>I have not heard about a major pipeline attack in Iraq in some time.</I><BR/><BR/>Yeah, I was wondering about a connection also. I read about the aircraft at EU Referendum, who also had a photo of the flight line. The EU Referendum guys were making the point that you didn't need a multi-million dollar aircraft to carry a modern sensor package and were urging the UK to spend its limited defense budget to acquire cheaper technology for counter insurgency type deployments, especially as British troops were reduced to going up with the Iraqis in order to have some surveillance capability. But I thought the info on the nascent Iraqi air force was interesting, I hadn't seen anything about it elsewhere.chuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15164145672293455823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-32911827259041469272007-04-29T23:37:00.000-06:002007-04-29T23:37:00.000-06:00Skook,I dunno if border control is that tough an i...Skook,<BR/><BR/>I dunno if border control is that tough an issue for the Kurds. They seem to run a Hotel California style operation for AQ and Arab "guests".<BR/><BR/>That Dubai Annex really sucks and the Kurds might as well fight while the central government is weak. It's not a bad negotiating position and once they get a revenue stream going they will be in a position to maintain at least regional autonomy.Rick Ballardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11082425215912372067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-54359184640852848072007-04-29T23:06:00.000-06:002007-04-29T23:06:00.000-06:00If we posit an independent Kurdistan, it would nee...If we posit an independent Kurdistan, it would need to control its borders, which I would guess would be tough for even the Peshmerga without US high-tech help and perhaps our people on the ground. Then the Kurds would need to control their own people sufficiently to keep them from scaring the Turks. Devising ways of doing that might also be in part a US job.<BR/><BR/>And Chuck, I have not heard about a major pipeline attack in Iraq in some time. Interesting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-35189790742607435182007-04-29T22:26:00.000-06:002007-04-29T22:26:00.000-06:00Iraq doesn't have much in the way of armor, artill...<I>Iraq doesn't have much in the way of armor, artillery or air.</I><BR/><BR/>It doesn't have them *now*. But there is a lot going on under the radar that goes unreported. For instance, the Iraqi air force has acquired and flies an number of sensor equipped reconnaisence aircraft, using them to patrol the pipelines and such. This not only serves the immediate purpose, but builds organization and trains pilots. They are also flying refurbished helicopters. Remember all those glider competitions in the Third Reich? I suspect that at some point the Iraqis will acquire some fighter/ground attack aircraft and helicopters. And when they do, they will have the people to fly them.chuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15164145672293455823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-50018392490169156072007-04-29T21:46:00.000-06:002007-04-29T21:46:00.000-06:00Actually, Kurdistan is autonomous - it's just not ...Actually, Kurdistan <I>is</I> autonomous - it's just not independent. Yet. <BR/><BR/>It's definitely in a rough neighborhood but having a lot of oil seems to attract friends as well as enemies. Iraq doesn't have much in the way of armor, artillery or air. The Kurds have nothing to fear from Baghdad unless the US provides assistance.<BR/><BR/>If they declared independence, would the US allow Turkish or Iranian interference?<BR/><BR/>I think it may be a negotiating ploy and I hope it works. A national oil company in Iraq isn't a plus on my scorecard.Rick Ballardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11082425215912372067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-12459583669384377402007-04-29T21:38:00.000-06:002007-04-29T21:38:00.000-06:00MHA:How would it defend itself against Iran, Turke...MHA:<BR/><BR/><I>How would it defend itself against Iran, Turkey, and the rump Iraq?</I><BR/><BR/>Only if we helped in its defense.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16821859.post-19013214594450523722007-04-29T21:03:00.000-06:002007-04-29T21:03:00.000-06:00The idea of an autonomous Kurdistan strikes me as ...The idea of an autonomous Kurdistan strikes me as an American fantasy. How would it defend itself against Iran, Turkey, and the rump Iraq? How much bloodshed would be involved in the split-up of Iraq and its concommitant ethnic cleansing?MeaninglessHotAirhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11767916621253839341noreply@blogger.com