On 8 APR 16 a VOX world article stated:  “The United States has had a longstanding relationship with Iraq’s quasi-autonomous Kurdish minority, who benefited from the American-led no-fly zone over Iraq after the 1990s Gulf War and from Saddam Hussein’s downfall in 2003. But that relationship got considerably closer in 2014 when the US partnered with Iraqi and Syrian Kurds to fight their shared enemy, ISIS.”

The article also states:  “But as ISIS recedes, America’s alliance with the Kurds becomes less necessary for either side. And it’s coming as American and Kurdish interests increasingly diverge — and as the two allies push for visions of the Middle East that are more than a little different.”

http://www.vox.com/2016/4/8/11377314/america-kurds-problem

On 7 APR 16 The Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) representative in Moscow announced that the KRG will be receiving the first shipment of weapons from Russia in early May. The weapons include anti-tank weapons and missiles. Until now, some of the weapons and equipment which have been given to the KRG by NATO and others have at times ended up in the hands of ISIS. NEC-SE asks: What guarantees can the Kurds give the U.S. that these Russian weapons will not end up in the hands of ISIS, or be used by them to target others who are against what is now against the Kurdish/Russian interests in northern Iraq?

In the past, the Sunni Muslim Kurds have stated that they are steadfast allies of U.S. interests in the region. Thus, the fact that they have now openly announced such an agreement with Russia indicates that Russia has won the advantage in the region through either tactical or strategic leverage.

On 21 MAR 16 NEC-SE posted the article:  The Kurds will take DoD monies and support but their hearts belong to their first love, the Russians.

In the article we stated: “On 17 MAR 16 Defense Secretary Ash Carter testified on the Defense Department’s proposed fiscal year 2017 budget during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington. Speaking to the panel, Defense Secretary Carter listed Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and terrorism as the five evolving strategic challenges that are driving the DoD’s planning and budgeting.”

“Shortly after Ash Carter’s testimony, Mr. Adel Mourad, secretary of the Central Council of the Patriotic Kurdistan Union (PUK), met with Russian Ambassador Elijah Morkanof in the KRG and told the Russian representative that the Kurds in Iraq, Syria, and Turkey are allies of Russia.”

“The mind boggles at the thought that even though the Kurds are always telling us that their interests supersede U.S. interests in the region, we still regard them as an enduring partner in the region. We are, in a sense, cuckolds in a relationship with an unfaithful wife. Someday, maybe, we will realize that the Kurds are dealing with us, taking our money and accepting our support, even as they are cozying up with the Russians. But, sadly, it seems just as likely that we will see the light after the Kurds have had their way with us and told us to go home. Their Russian lover is now meeting the needs we had met for a short period of time. Welcome to the Middle East where your partner is your partner only for as long as she can use you to get what she wants.”

http://nec-se.webbar312.net/2016/03/21/the-kurds-will-take-dod-monies-and-support-but-their-hearth-belongs-to-their-first-love-the-russians/

Related Articles:

http://nec-se.webbar312.net/2015/08/03/congress-should-fact-check-the-kurds/

http://nec-se.webbar312.net/2015/07/29/media-bombing-campaign-against-the-krg-and-the-kurds-has-begun/

http://nec-se.webbar312.net/2015/07/28/on-16-jun-15-congress-voted-against-directly-arming-iraqs-kurds/

http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/260120165