The United States has asked militias in northern Iraq to
contribute combatants for the war against Sunni insurgents.
Arab diplomatic sources said U.S. Central Command has negotiated with
several militias for fighters to help neutralize the insurgency in the Sunni
Triangle. The sources said the U.S. military requires troops amid delays in
the formation of international divisions.
So far, Central Command has approached Kurdish and Turkmen forces. The
sources said the Kurds have agreed to participate in operations while the
ethnic Turks refused.
The Turkmen Front refused a U.S request to send 1,500 combatants to the
Sunni Triangle, Middle East Newsline reported. The Turkmens were said to have responded that they don't
have sufficient manpower and that all combatants were required to maintain
security in
Kirkuk.
Last week, at least 11 people were killed in a clash between Kurdish
and Turkmen forces in Kirkuk. It was the first report of casualties in
simmering tensions between the two ethnic groups.
Kurdish groups have agreed to the U.S. request to help quell the Sunni
insurgency. The sources said the Kurds will send 2,000 combatants to such
cities as Baqubah, Faluja and Tikrit, the heart of the Sunni uprising.
The sources said the U.S. request to the Kurds and Turkmens came amid
Turkish delays to send troops to the Sunni Triangle. Turkey has been asked
to send at least 10,000 troops to the area.
