Asking Korea to Dispatch Troops to Two Locations

It has been reported that the Kurds of northern Iraq have requested the investigation unit of the Department of Defense, currently visiting Iraq, not to limit the dispatch of Korean troops to either Arbil or Sulaymania.

Presently, the government is planning to choose either Arbil or Sulaymania, both autonomous districts of Kurds, as places to dispatch troops.

On April 13, an anonymous top official at the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) stated, “If the Korean government is dispatching troops with an intention to aid reconstruction, I hope they will fulfill their duty throughout the whole Kurdistan region instead of selecting only one region.” The Kurdistan region is about one-third the size of South Korea.

This official further commented that KDP and PUK (Patriotic Union of Kurdistan), the two political parties of Kurds within Iraq, have decided likewise during a conference held on the brink of visit from the Korean investigation unit and added, “This opinion was delivered when the Korean investigation unit visited Salahuddin, the headquarters of KDP.” As KDP assumes the political leadership in Arbil, including Dohuk, and PUK seizes Sulaymania, how the mutual agreement of both political parties will affect the Korean government’s decision of the location to dispatch troops is under intense concern. Regarding this matter, the Department of Defense has announced, “This account has yet to be confirmed.”