Posted on 06/24/2014 3:09:29 PM PDT by PoloSec
(Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urged leaders of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region on Tuesday to stand with Baghdad in the face of a Sunni insurgent onslaught that threatens to dismember the country.
Security forces fought Sunni armed factions for control of the country's biggest oil refinery on Tuesday and militants launched an attack on one of its largest air bases less than 100 km (60 miles) from the capital.
More than 1,000 people, mainly civilians, have been killed in less than three weeks, the United Nations said on Tuesday, calling the figure "very much a minimum".
The figure includes unarmed government troops machinegunned in mass graves by insurgents, as well as several reported incidents of prisoners killed in their cells by retreating government forces.
Kerry flew to the Kurdish region on a trip through the Middle East to rescue Iraq following a lightning advance by the Sunni fighters led by jihadis of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
U.S. officials believe that persuading the Kurds to stick with the political process in Baghdad is vital to keep Iraq from splitting apart. "If they decide to withdraw from the Baghdad political process it will accelerate a lot of the negative trends," said a senior State Department official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity.
Kurdish leaders have made clear that the settlement keeping Iraq together as a state is now in jeopardy.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Why should the Kurds care about Jon Keery or Arabs of Islamist bent?
Their guiding light for 50 years or something has been the creating of an independent Khurdistan.
Asking them to “save Iraq” is considerably less realistic than asking Louis Lerner for email records….
“Kerry flew to the Kurdish region on a trip through the Middle East to rescue Iraq following a lightning advance by the Sunni fighters led by jihadis of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant”
That sentence should be mandatory reading for all classes on media propaganda.
Its impossible to imagine a more ignorant and incompetent collection of dipshits running this country, than the current crop of libtard POS’.
The Kurds should worry about the Kurds.
Amazing!
You think they will do it now? I doubt it.
It’s a tough row for the Kurds, being surrounded by Persian, Turk and Arab ‘tards.
Kerry is actually dumber than he looks.
Well bless his heart ;)
Now that the Kurds are curbing the actions of extremists attacking the Turks, Turkey and Kurds have a friendly relationship. Further, the southern boundaries of Kurdistan have been recovered by the Kurds with the collapse of Iraq. Why should the Kurds get involves. Don’t have any liking of Shia or Suni.
Turkey should wake up and smell the Turkish coffee and give the Kurds their rightful domain in the north. (Turkey’s south) The Kurds would make solid allies and good neighbors for them.
I don’t think Turkey will give the Kurds a hard time because they are just happy to have gotten rid of all the Kurdish refugees who have gone back across the border into the new Kurd territory. I dont’ know about Iran. I think the ISIS guys will leave them alone as they have a kick azz army and ready to fight. Its going to be interesting.
Saddam gassed the Kurds and killed 5,000 of them. They might tell Johnny to stand by, and they’ll have their people get right back to him.
I think the Kurds are probably trying to just figure out how to hang onto their little corner of Hell. :-)
I hope the Kurds emerge with their own state. They deserve at least that.
Is Kerry nuts or just thinks the Kurds are stupid? The first thing Iran and it's Iraq stooges will do if the oust ISIS will be to attempt to wipe the Kurds out.
True. For now, neither Turkey nor Iran want to mess with them. Neither ISIS nor the Government of Iraq has the strength for now to fight them. Whoever wins control of Iraq might come back for them though. If Iraq prevails, I hope they remember that the Kurds passed on intelligence information about ISIS to the United States and the U.K. which would have helped Maliki if the information had been acted on.
The Kurds should tell Lurch they’re making their own country, thanks.
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