by OLD1953 » Sat Dec 29, 2012 6:36 am
It's kind of odd up in Kurdistan, for example, visas. You can get a visa at the airport for fifteen dollars, IIRC. You can't travel to Kirkuk on that visa, as soon as you hit the border you'll be stopped and possibly arrested. That's a Kurdistan visa, so according to the Baghdad government you are not legally in Iraq, even though you have a visa issued at the Erbil International Airport. OTOH, there are no car bombings or suicide bombings in that region, and there is almost literally a Peshmerga on every corner, and he's well armed too. I always figured if you wanted to commit holy suicide, just act like you are going to attack something and it would be suicide in the Kurdish region. Those guys don't fool around. Lot of construction going on up there, and a lot of foreign business money flying around. The Kurds want modernization and security, and they are very determined to have both.
It's kind of odd up in Kurdistan, for example, visas. You can get a visa at the airport for fifteen dollars, IIRC. You can't travel to Kirkuk on that visa, as soon as you hit the border you'll be stopped and possibly arrested. That's a Kurdistan visa, so according to the Baghdad government you are not legally in Iraq, even though you have a visa issued at the Erbil International Airport. OTOH, there are no car bombings or suicide bombings in that region, and there is almost literally a Peshmerga on every corner, and he's well armed too. I always figured if you wanted to commit holy suicide, just act like you are going to attack something and it would be suicide in the Kurdish region. Those guys don't fool around. Lot of construction going on up there, and a lot of foreign business money flying around. The Kurds want modernization and security, and they are very determined to have both.