Israeli Commandos Secretly Trained Kurdish "Peshmerga" in Iraq

(20.09.2006; Reuters)

On Tuesday, the BBC reported that former commandos of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), had secretly trained Kurdish soldiers in northern Iraq.

One of the former Israeli trainers told the BBC in an interview that the IDF soldiers had crossed into Iraq from Turkey in 2004.

The Kurds were trained as security forces for the new airport in Erbil, while others were trained for special assignments that included how to use rifles and how to shoot militants in a crowd.

While Iraqi newspapers have reported on Israel's contacts in the Kurdish region, Kurdish authorities have denied allowing any Israelis into Iraq. Khaled Salih, a spokesman for the Kurdish Regional Government dismissed these claims by saying, "These are not new allegations for us. Back in the 1960's and 1970's we were called the ' second Israel ' in the region."

Please go to the article entitled, "Annals of National Security; Plan B", by Seymour M. Hersh to read more on the issue of Israel's interest in Kurdistan.