Friday, August 17, 2007

More On Northern Iraq

There may be more to the Hideous Crap decried earlier, according to the Independent. Whatever may have set it off, the roots may lie in an upcoming referendum, & the deepest root would be: (big surprise here)OIL!

The Kurds are growing impatient about holding the referendum but might agree to a short delay. They would expect the result of a vote to show Kirkuk city and the surrounding oilfields joining the KRG but Mosul city staying out.
On the other hand, the Kurds would hope to take over areas around Mosul city such as Sinjar, the site of this week's bombing, because it is also their link to the large Kurdish minority in northern Syria. Militant Sunni areas such as Hawaijaqh in western Tameem province would probably secede.

[...]

The US military has suggested the bombers are operating more ruthlessly in northern Iraq because they can no longer operate in Baghdad because of the success of the American "surge". In reality, the number of car bombings in Baghdad in July was 5 per cent higher than last December and civilian casualties in explosions have increased by about the same percentage.

Tip of the Bouffant chapeau to Pere Ubu, from comments @ Sadly, NO!

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