US policy in Iraq in two pictures;
• Iraqi humvees are moving towards Kirkuk (left)
•Kurdistan humvees are waiting to defend (right)
• Iraqi humvees are moving towards Kirkuk (left)
•Kurdistan humvees are waiting to defend (right)
And where's the US government?
The Baghdad-based government is on the verge of war with the Erbil-based government -- Iraq is on the verge of war with itself.
Where's the media?
Where's the leadership?
Where's the concern?
PBS' THE NEWSHOUR spoke with Loveday Morris of THE WASHINGTON POST:
HARI SREENIVASAN: What’s the likelihood that this standoff right now turns violent? Into some sort of a civil war?
LOVEDAY MORRIS: I think at this point both sides don’t want violence. Al-Abadi, the prime minister, is really trying to defuse the situation by saying there’s going to be no military attack. But at the same time there is this buildup of forces so that I think they are trying to, in a way, intimidate the Kurds to withdraw from some areas but they don’t want to see a fight per say. But in this really tense situation there can be a small spark and things can turn violent quite easily.
LOVEDAY MORRIS: I think at this point both sides don’t want violence. Al-Abadi, the prime minister, is really trying to defuse the situation by saying there’s going to be no military attack. But at the same time there is this buildup of forces so that I think they are trying to, in a way, intimidate the Kurds to withdraw from some areas but they don’t want to see a fight per say. But in this really tense situation there can be a small spark and things can turn violent quite easily.
Very easily.
9- If any country wants to mediate, good idea to do it now. One bullet fired here &disaster will take place, a peshmerga commander told me.
Agreed.
