Small Wars Journal

Changing of the Guard Resets Cycle of Retribution in Iraq

Sun, 11/12/2017 - 10:10am

Changing of the Guard Resets Cycle of Retribution in Iraq by Isabel Coles and Ali Nabhan – Wall Street Journal

The victors in the latest reversal of fortunes here in this part of northern Iraq have wasted no time erasing the legacy of three years of Kurdish rule.

Since routing the Kurds in October, Iraqi forces have scrubbed out their sun-emblazoned flag and replaced pictures commemorating Kurdish Peshmerga fighters killed in the war against Islamic State with portraits of their own “martyrs.”

A mural depicting the father of the Kurdish nationalist struggle, Mala Mustafa Barzani, has been defaced. Scrawled over it are the words: “Long live Iraq!”

The shift in power has favored local Arabs over Kurds here, setting off a new round of score-settling that undermines hopes for stability in the country just as it triumphs over Islamic State…

Read on.