AMY GOODMAN: We're talking to Professor Juan Cole here at the
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In fact, we're sitting in a
classroom. You talk about the Kurds. BBC is reporting that Israel is
training the Kurds.
JUAN COLE: Well, BBC is reporting that there is an Israeli company or
two that's been giving training to Kurds using ex-Special Ops forces.
These are private security guards now who are giving training.
AMY GOODMAN: Not at the behest of the Israeli government?
JUAN COLE: Well, we don't know exactly.
AMY GOODMAN: Or proxy?
JUAN COLE: We don't know exactly what is the relationship. There have
been rumored to be good relations between the Kurdish regional
government and the Israelis for some time. And there have been earlier
reports by Sy Hersh of Israeli intelligence agents operating in
Kurdistan, in fact spying on Iran from Kurdistan. So if ex-Special Ops
Israeli security companies are providing training to the Kurdish
peshmerga, this is not a huge surprise. It would violate Iraqi law.
.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/09/25/1318238
