| Makes sense to me. The Israelis have fought umpty wars with the Arabs and have won them all. The biggest threat to Kurdistan is from Arabs. Might as well learn from the guys who've proven they can beat them. |
Dozens of former Israeli commandos have been training Kurdish security forces in northern Iraq, supplying them with equipment worth millions of dollars, an Israeli newspaper reported yesterday. Over the past 18 months, these ex-commandos, who were sent to Iraq by several Israeli corporations including Motorola Israel, have been training special security units as part of a program organized by the Kurdish authorities, the top-selling Yediot Ahronot daily said. They have also been involved in the secret construction of a major airport near the northern town of Arbil, known as âHawler International.âOperating from a secret desert stronghold dubbed Code Z, these former Israeli soldiers, all of whom have elite-unit experience, have been training the Kurds in weapons, self-defense and anti-terror techniques, the paper said. As part of the program, the Israeli firms have supplied the Kurds with tons of Israeli-manufactured equipment, including dozens of motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles (AVTs), sniffer dogs, devices for upgrading Kalashnikov rifles, flack jackets, uniforms and helmets.
The Israelis entered Iraq through its northern border with Turkey posing as construction engineers and agricultural experts, the paper said. A shroud of secrecy has been imposed on the project for fear the Israelis could be targeted by Iraqi militant groups and either kidnapped or killed.