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Kurdish Forces Eye Opportunistic Incursions Into Iran
- Kurdish groups in Iraq see a rare opening to move into western Iran if Iranian forces are sufficiently weakened by U.S. and Israeli strikes.
- Amberin Zaman notes these groups lack recent combat presence inside Iran and would act only where the IRGC and Basij are degraded.
Kurds Worry About Being Abandoned Again
- Kurdish leaders fear U.S. encouragement may repeat past betrayals where the U.S. backed uprisings then withdrew support, leaving Kurds exposed.
- Zaman cites 1991 Iraq and recent Syria examples where U.S. pivots allowed hostile regimes to crush Kurdish allies.
Plan Political Endgames Before Air Campaigns
- Do plan the political endgame before or alongside military strikes; otherwise military gains will create a vacuum without a legitimate political solution.
- Admiral Mark Montgomery warns air campaigns need grounded armed partners and political mapping to convert tactical success into lasting change.