Only Kurds to keep heavy weapons

Arizona Daily Star ^ | Saturday, 24 May 2003 | Patrick E. Tyler

[gd124]

By Patrick E. Tyler THE NEW YORK TIMES

BAGHDAD - The U.S. occupation authority in Iraq, apparently preserving the prewar distinction between Kurdish-controlled northern areas and the rest of the country, will allow Kurdish fighters to keep their assault rifles and heavy weapons, but require Shiite Muslim and other militias to surrender theirs, according to a draft directive.

The plan has engendered intense criticism by Shiite leaders involved in negotiations with American and British officials who have met privately with the heavily armed political groups that have moved into the power vacuum here.

"Maybe we didn't fight with the coalition, but we didn't fight against them," said Adel Abdul-Mahdi, an official of the largest Shiite group, headed by Ayatollah Mohammed Bakr al-Hakim, who arrived from exile in Iran earlier this month. "We want conditions where all militias are dissolved and we will not accept that other militias will be allowed to stay there with their weapons while we will not be there with ours."

Under the draft order, obtained by The New York Times, "militias that assisted coalition forces who remain under the supervision of coalition forces" will be authorized "to possess automatic or heavy weapons."

In a news conference on Friday, Lt. Gen. David D. McKiernan, commander of land forces in Iraq, said that under the directive there "will be no militias inside of Iraq," but then added that the Kurdish peshmerga forces "are a different story."

"The peshmergas fought with coalition forces, and we look to leave them with some of their forces north of the green line." He was referring to the line that once divided the Kurds in two self-governing enclaves in the north from the Iraq that was under the control of Saddam Hussein.

The directive would allow ordinary Iraqis to retain a substantial amount of arms, including pistols, rifles and shotguns, but would ban AK-47 automatic assault rifles, machine guns, mortars, grenades and heavier weapons such as artillery, anti-tank weapons and armored vehicles.

The top civilian administrator in Iraq, L. Paul Bremer III, issued a separate directive on Friday formally dissolving Iraq's armed forces as they existed under Saddam. Bremer abolished the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Information, the Republican Guard and other security institutions "which constituted and supported the most repressive activities of Saddam Hussein's regime."

[jim_trent]

I say, good deal. The Kurds seem to be the only Arabs (Muslims?) who can govern themselves without returning to savage tribalism. The only question I have is: How did they get to be the "Jews" of the Arab world, with all the other Arabs wanting to kill them? From what I have read, they seem to have many desirable traits.

[xm177e2]

They get to be kicked around because of geography, not by any fault of their own. Kurdistan is very important region strategically. The Turks control a big chunk of it, giving them control over the Tigris and Euphrates. And there is a significant amount of oil in Iraqi Kurdistan.

They just can't stand against the Arab juggernaut all alone. They never had a chance.

[BenLurkin]

Mao may have been right: Power does indeed come from the barrel of a gun.

No guns = no freedom.

[LaraCroft]

I almost crashed my car tonight when I heard a reporter saying "The US wants to take away their guns, leaving them to the mercy of criminals"

DUH?

[punster]

Interesting comment. I do have doubts that it will help to reach the Shiite's in Iraq, to render them helpless and vulnerable to criminals. I think this move may cause a lot of resentment, that may result in more trouble down the road.

Sure, the increasing violence is a problem. However, I believe the perpetrators should be dealt with harshly, instead of disarming everyone.

[zarf]

However, I believe the perpetrators should be dealt with harshly, instead of disarming everyone

Read the article again....the Shiites are not being disarmed. Heavy weapons are being confiscated. They will retain their pistols, shotguns and other rifles.

Anti-tank weapons are illegal to own in this country as well.

[sheik yerbouty]

Kurds are definately not Arabs.

[El Gato]

They will retain their pistols, shotguns and other rifles.

Including their for real "assault rifle" AK-47s. If they have any of those 7.62x54R semi-auto (or bolt action Moison-Nagants) Soviet sniper rifles, they can keep them too. RPK light machine guns? Fine with the coalition. We should have such "gun control" in this country, don't you think?

[July 4th]

Kurds are Kurds, not Arabs, but are for the most part Muslim. Just like the Iranians are not Arabs either - they're Muslim Persians. (There were a fair amount of Jewish Iranians too, but just like Iraq, they fled or were killed.)

[Centurion2000]

The directive would allow ordinary Iraqis to retain a substantial amount of arms, including pistols, rifles and shotguns, but would ban AK-47 automatic assault rifles, machine guns, mortars, grenades and heavier weapons such as artillery, anti-tank weapons and armored vehicles.

If they enforce this, we just lost Iraq.

[Centurion2000]

Anti-tank weapons are illegal to own in this country as well.

Actually they are perfectly legal in quite a few states. You just have to pay the 200.00 ATF tax on them.

[zarf]

Cool. Where can I get a TOW system complete with a Bradley FV?

Are there concealed or unconcealed carry laws afforded them?

[jim_trent]

You and sheik yerbouty are missing the point. My question was: Why do all the others around them hate Kurds -- to the point of killing them wholesale?