Richard WarnickIraqi Troops and Kurdish Peshmerga Forces are Bracing for Conflict
Flag of Iraqi Kurdistan
While the U.S. presidential election is about to go into full swing, few Americans know that the Iraqi elections originally scheduled for this October have been postponed indefinitely. They may have a war instead.
Jonathan Steele of The Guardian reports that growing tensions between Nouri al-Maliki’s Green Zone Government and the de facto independent Kurdistan government could soon lead to armed conflict over the town of Khanaqin and parts of northern Diyala Province claimed by Kurds as part of their ancient homeland.
Another flash point is the disputed city of Kirkuk, which is a main reason elections have been postponed. The final status of Kirkuk, which was seized by Kurdistan in 2003, is supposed to be determined at the ballot box. The Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi forces loyal to Maliki are facing off at Kirkuk as well. Estimates of the strength of the Kurdish armed forces range from 270,000 to 375,000, with at least 2,000 armored fighting vehicles including T-72 tanks. The Peshmerga also have artillery and anti-aircraft weapons.
At the same time, Maliki’s Green Zone government has accepted responsibility for al-Anbar Province. That brings its own set of problems, however renewed conflict in Anbar is probably on hold until U.S. forces are withdrawn.