So, after all the Israeli criticism of terrorism in recent months...

So, after all the Israeli criticism of terrorism in recent months...

...it turns out they've been training the Kurdish militia in Northern Iraq.

Uncle Sam would be proud

ah but the Kurds are fighting for their ancestral homeland and are surrounded by states who wish to see their destruction so that makes it ok

typical to see the boatrds antisemites ripping into Israel at any given oppertunity.

Lets look at the reality:

a. The commando's were ex. IDF, so to suggest that Israel is training kurds is a gross distrotion of reality.

b. The Kurds were being trained to defend an international airport, hardly an evil objective!

c. I'm a bit confused as to how these actions are newsworthy, pretty much every western power has "officially" trained Iraqi civilians... the fact that mercinaries make the news can only be down to the BBC media bias.

Now perhaps let's look at the actual reality:

a) The pictures obtained by the BBC appeared to show uniformed Israeli soldiers. You claim they are 'former' (I'm not sure how you know this), OK, so who's paying for them to be there? Why are the Israelis declining interviews on the subject?

Apparently training foreign militia is illegal under Israeli law, and would seem to be highly ill-advised in terms of historical precendent don't you think?

b) Lol, defending airports isn't an evil objective? What sort of monstrous country would attack a civilian international airport eh?

c) Why is this newsworthy? Firstly, the new pictures didn't even make BBC news, which you would have expected from an organisation as widely racist as you claim. Secondly, this shows violation of Israeli law. Thirdly, they didn't have any permission to operate in Iraq. Militia trained by other Western nations were with a view to overthrow Saddam (whatever your thoughts on this), wheras it seems more probable that the purpose of training these is for information gathering/clandestine operations against Iran.

What makes it newsworthy on here? The fact it will get some debate, of course!

I'd be objecting equally if this were the Americans training Mujeheddin btw.

"Former Israel Defense Forces commandos secretly trained Kurdish soldiers in Northern Iraq to protect a new international airport and in counter-terrorism operations, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

Former Israeli special forces soldiers crossed into Iraq from Turkey in 2004 to train two sets of Kurdish troops, one of the former Israeli trainers told the BBC's Newsnight program.

The former trainer, whose name was not disclosed, said IDF soldiers trained Kurds to act as a security force for the new airport in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil." - Haaretz

You're again showing your vast lack of knowledge on the entire middle east. Kurds and Israeli's have had an alliance for quite sometime as the Kurds have consistantly invested in Israeli defence related expertise.

There is no connection between the Israeli government and the report you commented on (to date).

Which law? Israel have a history of training and finding militias seen as friends of Israel.

LOL it was a BBC investigation!

Which law?

If Kurdish authorities employed them I'm guessing they could have authority, Iraq is full of mercinaries training, educating and protecting the war stricken communities.

Mecrinaries tend to act out of capitalistic motivations, you can't attribute the motivations of a state to the motivation of their citizens.... Iraq is swarming with ex-military westerners hoping to cash in on the billions of dollars poured into Iraq.... I ask you; why are westerners acting nobley while the Jews have some sinister objective? typical antisemitic-Andy.

Westerners did train the mujahideen? And westerners are training Iraqi's as we speak!!!!

It was on the BBC report that it would be illegal, I'll have a look round to see if there's any evidence to support/refute it.

I know it was, and I support their right to do it without being called racist. My point was that they didn't include it in their main news slots, presumably as this is only new evidence - the Guardian first reported it a year ago.

I don't see how you can possibly say I'm saying the West act nobly in training militia, I have been a vocal opponenet of the Iraq war as you are well aware.

I am also aware of the US involvement in training Afghan mujeheddin; this and the outcomes is the very reason I suspect training militia like this is a bad idea.

are you against the training of Iraqi's?

If they're not part of the government security services, then yes.

I am all for the official training of their police force/army, but cannot support unofficial militia.

how to you differentiate?

In the same way I would in any other country.

One is employed, trained and directed by the preferably democratically elected government in the interests of the country.

One is employed by individuals/companies, trained illicitly and directed towards the aims of the individuals or companies or country training. It is less accountible to the process of law, and more susceptible to corruption.

good point. I think all the training we are doing will come back to bite us one day.

Bin Laden was heavily involved in the Afghan mujeheddin, of American sponsorship fame.

This is different to training a police force that acts under control of a democratic Iraqi government though.

well it would be if there were a normal state operating in Iraq. Sadly this is not so and it would amaze me if the so called insurgents had not completely infiltrated the police and security services by now

whats the alternative?

leave the third world to attempt modernisation without external influence?

Iraq's government does not operate in the same manner that a western democracy does, it is composed of the warlords and militia's you were so quick to dismiss.

You can't judge Iraq in the same manner as you'd judge a modernized nation.... In warzones like Iraq the training of militia is essential if you are to stabalize the nation.

ah 'modernisation'
what a slippery concept.

Iraq was a dictatorship before we waded in sure, but it wasn't third world.
it is now though. So much for our external influence

some inconsistancy here ?

Nonsense.

Who exactly are the militia accountable to?

You can't have bands of armed thugs roaming round, doing whatevers in the interests of whoever will pay them, its a hugely destabilising influence.

aren't hizbullah a militia?
oh no sorry they are terrorists