Kurds preparing to take on Shiite militia

AP ^ | January 14 2007 | QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and BASSEM MROUE

[jmc1969]

A Kurdish army brigade from northern Iraq is undergoing intensive urban combat training for deployment to Baghdad, where it expects to take on the Mahdi Army Shiite militia, its commander said Saturday.

In the northern city of Irbil, Brig. Gen. Nazir Assem Korran, commander of the 1st Infantry Brigade, 2nd Division of the Iraqi army, said "we will head to Baghdad soon. We have 3,000 soldiers who are currently undergoing intensive training especially in urban combat and how the army should act inside a city."

Later in the day, al-Maliki issued his first comment on the new Bush administration plan outlined Wednesday, declaring it "identical to our strategy and intentions." President Bush said he would send additional 21,500 troops to help pacify the capital and other parts of the country.

[isthisnickcool]

Who let the dogs out!!!

[quantim]

Now this is a civil war I can live with.

[shield]

LOL...the Kurds are great fighters. ;o) If I was part of that militia...I'd run and hide. I'd quit the militia fast hoping no one finds out I was ever part of it otherwise I'm dead.

[tillacum]

An AP report, how true is this one?

[MinorityRepublican]

I thought the Kurds want nothing to do with the rest of Iraq?

[Cap Huff]

ping

[TADSLOS]

It's ass whuppin' time.

[dirtbiker]

I thought the Kurds want nothing to do with the rest of Iraq?

Maybe so, but what true Kurd can resist killing a few sunni and shia, when given the opportunity to do so, legally!

[kerryusama04]

This is great! The beauty of using the locals is that their idea of victory is running through the streets with Sadr's head on a bayonet.

[dirtbiker]

It's ass whuppin' time!

Ol' "Muki" gonna mess his turbin when he sees the Kurds coming to kick the backsides of his motley militia....

[elmer fudd]

This is big. The Peshmerga are a serious fighting force with an axe to grind and the Iraqis know it.

[dirtbiker]

Or is that "Mookie"?

[John123]

where it expects to take on the Mahdi Army Shiite militia,

This article doesn't make sense to me. The Shiites have to cross the Sunni territory BEFORE they can get into the Kurdish areas.

[John123]

I thought the Kurds want nothing to do with the rest of Iraq?

If I understand it right from the latest Forbe's, everyone is eyeballing the huge oil fields in the Kurdish territories.

[Farmer Dean]

Except to get a little payback...

[SolidWood]

The Kurds are going to Baghdad to kick some Shiite ass...

[jmc1969]

I have little faith in the Shia troops really going after the Medhi Army so this was a good move.

[USMCPOP]

"I thought the Kurds want nothing to do with the rest of Iraq?"

Perhaps the Kurds want to do the rest of Iraq to nothing?

[ozzymandus]

Good news, if it really happens. The Kurds will kick their asses hard.