Posted on 09/02/2009 8:48:05 PM PDT by DJ Elliott
This Iraqi Security Force Update provides a summary of changes to the ISF during August 2009. The Iraqi Security Force Order of Battle as of 31 August 2009 is published at Montrose Toast.
Peshmerga
Prime Minister Maliki has apparently reached an agreement with Kurdish leaders regarding the status of the Kurdish Regional Guard. According to Member of Parliment Firyad Rawandouzi, from the Kurdistani Alliance, Maliki agreed to absorb the Peshmerga into the “national defense apparatus”. The agreement would facilitate the transfer and commissioning of two new divisions (15th and 16th). The remaining Peshmerga members would either be absorbed into the police force, civilian institutions or be retired.
The two divisions being commissioned only account for 30,000 of the 100,000 active Kurdish Regional Guards. Even with 25,000 to 30,000 Peshmerga transferred to the Iraqi Police, there are the equivalent of three more divisions of personnel to be absorbed into the “national defense apparatus”.
There are 90,000 additional inactive Peshmerga that the Kurdish Regional Government has been negotiating retirement pensions for.
Iraqi Army
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The Kurds would do well to retain control over their own capable soldiers.
If they are all assimilated into the shia dominated Iraqi national army, that could put Kurdistan in a very dangerous and defensless position.
It is not yet known exactly what will happen when all U.S. troops are out. A large part of that depends on the actions of Iran.
The Kurds should have their own state. Of all the Iraqi people, the Kurds were the most appreciative of their liberation from Sadam. They never attacked our troops as “occupiers”, and they ran TV adds “thanking America”.
Not so the Sunni or Shia.
By joining the IA, the KRG put Kurds in a position to know if the GoI trys to attack the regional government.
So long as Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Iraq agree that the Kurds cannot be independent, they will not be independent.
The best the Kurds can get is the autonomy they have and retaining a seperate militia in violation of the law would destroy that.
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