US may work with Arab, Kurd forces in north Iraq

[David]

BAGHDAD (AFP) – The United States is discussing arrangements that could see its troops work alongside Iraqi and Kurdish forces in disputed areas of northern Iraq, the senior American commander said on Monday.

General Ray Odierno said he was discussing an accord with ministers from the central government and the autonomous Kurdish region that could require that an exception be made to last year's US-Iraq landmark security deal.

"One of the things that we are recommending is that initially we would have a US, Iraqi security force, KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) forces together in order to have confidence-building measures," he told reporters in Baghdad.

He said the measures would "over time, revert to just KRG-IA (Iraqi Army) forces that work for the government of Iraq" in the disputed zones along the Kurdish region's border with the rest of the country, primarily in Nineveh, Kirkuk and Diyala provinces.

Odierno said he had discussed the proposals with both Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and Kurdish regional president Massud Barzani, and that they had asked him to "to take a look at this" issue.

"We have Al-Qaeda exploiting this fissure that you're seeing between the Arabs and the Kurds in Nineveh and the KRG, and what we're trying to do is close that fissure, that seam," he said.

Because the potential arrangements, which Odierno stressed were still in the early stages of discussion, would involve American troops being stationed in villages, an exception to the US-Iraq security accord may be necessary.

The deal required US forces to pull out of Iraqi cities at the end of June, and leave the country entirely by the end of 2011.

"Disputed territories are not in any cities, (they're in) small villages, so we'll have to come to agreement on this, but... there's a potential for it (an exception to the deal) and that's what we have to discuss, in the disputed areas," he said.

Kurdish leaders have long demanded that their autonomous region, currently comprising three provinces, be expanded to include historically Kurdish-inhabited parts of Nineveh and Diyala as well as all of Kirkuk.

Baghdad, however, says the Kurdish region's borders should not extend past Arbil, Sulaimaniyah and Dohuk provinces.