There are commercial, civil aviation
flights into Irbil. U.S.-Turkish military cooperation has reduced tensions
and the impetus for Turkish military ground intervention."
The report said the Iraqi Kurds were relaying crude oil to Turkey.
McCaffrey, a former Gulf War commander and adjunct professor at West Point,
said KRG and Turkey were linked by a "huge amount of cross-border truck and
rail traffic."
"The Kurds have a lot to lose from hostility with the Turks and have
moderated their behavior toward their powerful northern neighbor," the
report said.
The report,
authored by [Ret.] Gen. Barry McCaffrey, marked a review of U.S. security
efforts in Iraq and recommendations for 2009.
The report said the reduction of tension between the Kurds and Turkey
mark an improvement throughout Iraq. McCaffrey said Iranian-sponsored
Shi'ite militias have been neutralized, but the security situation could
still worsen rapidly.
"The security situation is clearly still subject to sudden outrage at
any moment by Al Qaida in Iraq or to degradation because of provocative
behavior by the Maliki government," the report said. "However, the bottom
line is a dramatic and growing momentum for economic and security stability
which is unlikely to be reversible. I would not characterize the situation
as fragile. It is just beyond the tipping point."
