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Kurd-Arab Conflict Now Biggest Threat to Iraq

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 29, 2009 6:37 AM CDT
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(Newser) – Tension between Arabs and Kurds, rather than the usual friction between Sunnis and Shia, has become the greatest threat to Iraqi security, says the top US general in the country. The oil-rich Kurdish region has become "the No. 1 driver of instability," Ray Odierno told reporters yesterday, and "many insurgent groups are trying to exploit the tensions." The Kurds are battling Baghdad over who has control of oil reserves, and support for an independent Kurdistan is rising.

Robert Gates, the defense secretary, is visiting the Kurdish region today after a weekend election that saw reformist candidates triumph over establishment parties that voters viewed as corrupt. US officials are anxious that disputes over oil could boil over into a new front in the Iraq war, just as Sunni-Shia tensions have calmed down. "We're watching very carefully to see that this doesn't escalate," Odierno said.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates shakes hands with Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani in Irbil, Iraq, Wednesday, July 29, 2009.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates shakes hands with Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani in Irbil, Iraq, Wednesday, July 29, 2009.   (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)
Supporters of anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gather in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City to denounce a visit by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, July 28, 2009.
Supporters of anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gather in the Shiite stronghold of Sadr City to denounce a visit by Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, July 28, 2009.   (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
Robert Gates walks with the top US commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, upon his arrival in Baghdad, Tuesday, July 28, 2009.
Robert Gates walks with the top US commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, upon his arrival in Baghdad, Tuesday, July 28, 2009.   (AP Photo/Jim Watson,Pool)
Gates visited the semiautonomous Kurdish region during a brief trip to Iraq that has included meetings with political leaders who are feuding with Kurds over the borders of the oil-rich region.
Gates visited the semiautonomous Kurdish region during a brief trip to Iraq that has included meetings with political leaders who are feuding with Kurds over the borders of the oil-rich region.   (AP Photo/Jim Watson, Pool)
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COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
Shannonals
Jul 29, 2009 9:26 AM CDT
You know, considering the ties Kurds have with Iranians and the treatment they received under Saddam, it makes you wonder why they even remain in Iraq?
EddyTeach
Jul 29, 2009 2:36 AM CDT
The only thing that kept them in line was Saddam's outright genocide against the Kurds.

 
Iraq • Robert Gates • Kurdistan • Kurds • Iraq security • Gen. Ray Odierno

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