In Kurdistan, Mossad Gets in Washington's Way

In French.

Title: In Kurdistan, Mossad is is an embarassment to Washington, by G.M. in Le Figaro International, 28 Sept 2005.

Resumed after the war which drove Saddam Hussein out of power in Baghdad in 2003, the secret security co-operation between Israelis and Iraqi Kurds was put to a crushing stop these last few months, under Washington's influence. After Jalal Talabani's (the Kurdish leader) nomination to the presidency of the Republic of Iraq in spring 2005, "a conflict of interest appeared between the two allies", estimates an expert in Middle East safety. "In order not to be criticized by the Shiites and the sunnites," he adds, "the new Head of the State Talabani could not allow the further development of a relationship that is condemned by the immense majority of the Iraqis. The Kurdish two-sided-game was stopped." Since then, some of the Israeli agents sare believed to have left the north of Iraq. Apparently, there would remain only one hundred of them, and Israeli businessmen practically only act through Kurdish or Jordanian intermediaries.

The conflict had however helped to tighten the partnership between Mossad, the Israeli secret service, and the Kurdish leadership, who combined their effort in thirty years struggle against the nationalist regime of Baghdad. Israel wanted to support the Kurds' federal aspirations and contain the Iranian influence over Iraq. "After the hostilities, the Israelis, anxious to see thousands of so-called Iranian pilgrims entering Iraq, tried in vain to convince the Americans to close the border between Iran and Iraq", explains Patrick Clawson, deputy manager of the American research center "The Washington Institute for Near East Policy". But the United States, willing to preserve their relationship with their Iraqi Shiites allies, refused to act.

The Israelis then decided to take matters in their own hand. In Erbil and Souleymanieh, Israeli instructors, often disguised as businessmen, were charged to improve the training of the pechmergas, the Kurdish militiamen. Beginning of 2004, approximately 1,200 agents either from Mossad or from the Israeli military intelligence operated in Kurdistan, according to French military estimates. Their mission was to set up sufficiently strong Kurdish commandos that could effectively counter the Shiites militia in the South of Iraq (that are more or less manipulated by Teheran), in particular that of the troublemaker Moqtada Al-Sadr. The Kurdish leaders returned the favor by making positive declarations. Last 6 June, Massoud Barzani, of the democratic Party of Kurdistan, estimated that a relation with Israel "is not a crime since the majority of the Arab countries maintain the relationship" with the Hebrew State.

Kurdistan' mountains have always been filled with spies. "The presence of many people in this area, autonomous since 1991, makes it possible to the Israelis to recruit agents which will infiltrate other organizations", declared the former boss of a European intelligence service. Today, the Kurdish priority to infiltrate the new Iraqi army, directed by one of their own, serves the Israeli interests. Through its alliance with the Irqai Kurds, the Hebrew State has reinforced its monitoring on Iran and Syria, its two great enemies in the Middle East. But Israeli actions ended up disturbing Washington. "We've received strong pressure from Washington to stop our operations with the Kurds", said an Israeli sent to Erbil under cover of being a student. "the Americans do not agree any more with the Israeli plans", he affirms. Washington does not seem to tolerate anymore this presence that threathens its interests.

Gratitude to whatreallyhappened.com for English translation.

Tags: iraq, war, zionism, kurdistan, mossad