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| The Iraqi regular army on a roll. |
Kirkuk is likely the most of import urban essence for the Kurds. Not only is it inwards the midst of major oilfields that provide over one-half the revenue of the Kurdish autonomous portion inwards Northern Iraq, but it is the starting betoken for the Kirkuk-Banias Pipeline that connects these oilfields to the Mediterranean. Also, it is the only betoken connecting roads leading to the other ii major Kurdish cities, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.
So, yous would mean value the Kurds would at to the lowest degree brand closed to endeavour to grip onto to it. Especially inwards the wake of their referendum, when the bulk of people inwards the Kurdish controlled zone voted for independence. Quite simply, without Kirkuk, an independent Kurdistan is incredibly difficult.
Instead, a mere 48 hours later Baghdad launched a abrupt but quite predictable offensive, the urban essence has fallen solely into Iraqi hands, alongside the Kurdish "Peshmerga" forces literally turning tail in addition to fleeing similar a flock of sheep. For comparison, await at the representative of Raqqah, a smaller town, where besieged ISIS forces alongside much less support, held out for almost five months, or Deir ez-Zor, where Syrian forces resisted an ISIS siege lasting years.
As reported yesteryear the Jerusalem Post, which seems quite upset well-nigh the whole thing:
"Overnight, confusion along the forepart work betwixt the Iraqis in addition to Peshmerga of the Kurdistan Regional Government led to clashes which destroyed several vehicles in addition to a chaotic situation. By morning time groups of Kurdish forces had abandoned their posts, closed to due to a prior local agreement. In the afternoon scenes of defeat were everywhere, alongside dark Humvees of the Iraqi counterterrorism forces surrounding a famous statue to Peshmerga at the entrance to the urban essence in addition to thousands of Kurds fleeing inwards their cars towards Erbil in addition to Sulaymaniyah."
This is all rather foreign in addition to leads to a lot of speculation. Here is a curt listing of possibilities:
- The Kurds were weaker than most analysts estimated, mayhap because large numbers of them were sent to Syrian Arab Republic to serve every bit proxies for the U.S. inwards its state of war against ISIS.
- The Iraqis were stronger than most analysts estimated, mayhap because of state of war machine assistance from the US, Turkey, or Iran.
- The Kurds were only told to leave of absence of Kirkuk yesteryear the Americans or else confront isolation in addition to the cutting off of all support. The U.S. finds the prospect of Kurdish independence deeply "embarrassing" to its overall seat inwards the region.
- One Kurdish grouping betrayed the other, either for its ain reasons or to hit favour alongside the Iraqis or Americans. The Kurdish army, called the Peshmerga, is bascially made upward of ii contender militia groups controlled yesteryear the Democratic Party of Kurdistan in addition to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.
- Units of the Peshmerga were only bribed to dorsum off in addition to allow the Iraqis to advance. There is closed to testify of this.
One other possibility is that they had likewise many women inwards scrap positions, every bit this has ever been i of the ways that the Kurds convey sold themselves to Western audiences. While this is dandy PR to hit international support, it tin backfire inwards actual scrap situations.
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| This may convey been happening when the Iraqis launched their offensive. |
Well, let's hold off in addition to run across what the existent even is here. Should live interesting.