Israelis Training Terrorists In Kurdish Iraq?

The BBC reported yesterday that it had obtained evidence showing Israeli experts giving military training to Kurdish militants.

Kurdish politicians will most likely come under pressure to explain what their semi-autonomous government has been up to.

Israeli security experts who spoke to the BBC said they could not have worked inside Kurdistan without the knowledge of the Kurdish authorities.

The news will most probably increase tension between the Kurds and Iraq's Arab population, both Sunnis and Shias, reinforcing fears that the Kurds are pursuing a secessionist agenda.

This would be a serious blow to efforts for national reconciliation at a time when hundreds of Iraqis are killed every month in inter-communal violence.

Iraq's neighbours, too, will be outraged.

Iran and Syria, which have long accused the Kurds of allowing the Israelis to operate on Iraqi territory, will most likely demand an explanation from the government in Baghdad.

The Israeli government says it is conducting an investigation into the BBC report because it is against Israeli law to export military know-how without prior permission.

From the looks of it, these experts are private individuals, mercenaries or a private contractor operating outside Israeli law. That won't slow the conspiracy theorists down any. This is sooooo not going to help.