Turkey mainly, Iraq and the Kurds (2006-2014)

[RTK]

I'd imagine this is more propeganda. The Turks are all over the Kurdish north. We were pretty close up there and worked with various peshmerga units. So I'll go ahead and throw out the BS flag on this.

[SWJED]

I'd imagine this is more propeganda. The Turks are all over the Kurdish north. We were pretty close up there and worked with various peshmerga units. So I'll go ahead and throw out the BS flag on this.

...after all - it is BBC.

[Uboat509]

I came to the conclusion some time ago that BBC stands for Bush Bashing Channel.

SFC W

[SWJED]

I have found BBC reporting on Africa useful - even if just for the sheer volume of articles and wide coverage of the continent. Like with any MSM source - I read "between the lines" and typically there is useful information to take away.

[Bill Moore]

I remember the rumors of Israelis in the Kurdish portion of Iraq prior to going in 2003, and even the right wing Israeli website debka.com was covering stories of Israeli advisors there, so the story has been around awhile. It may well all be smoke and mirrors, and folks are simply reporting on ghosts, but the Israelis are well known for executing false flag operations and it wouldn't be unfeasible for them to be there as contractors pretending to be from another nation. I ran into Israeli advisors in other parts of the world under a false flag, they are good at it (necessity breeds competence). From a strategic stand point it definitely makes sense for Israel to seek influence there, as the Kurds could be a useful surrogate force to facilitate operations in Iraq and Iran. It also makes sense for our enemies to start a rumor that Israel is there to further secretarian violence.

Israel has fairly close relations with Turkey, so I doubt they would risk that by doing do much with the Kurds, but who knows? Whatever the case it provides a great idea for a conspiracy novel.

[Tom Odom]

They were there before back in the old days when the Shah was backing the Kurds from Iran. And as Bill points out, you can run into them in the "strangest" places. They were in southern Sudan in the late 60s and early 70s. I worked with them (as contractors) in Zaire and if you remember there were numerous reports on their activities as mercenaries training drug cartel militias in South America in the 80s and 90s.

So while it sounds strange and may be pure "BS," I would not rule it out entirely.

Best
Tom

[slapout9]

Tom, this a great point about the drug cartels and I don't know for sure but I suspect that it was true. It sure was funny how all those people in central America started wearing the very distinctive Israeli Combat harness??