The 3,000 soldiers of the ROK Army’s Zaytun Unit serving in Northern Iraq alledgedly came under mortar attack from Iraqi insurgents, marking the first direct attack against Korean forces since the start of their deployment.
Korea’s Zaytun Division in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil took cover late Sunday evening when four shells presumably fired by insurgents landed near the unit’s base compound, the first direct attack on Korean troops since they were deployed to the area last September. There were no casualties among Korean soldiers or civilians, but the division’s activity is likely to be curtailed for some time.
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A JCS official said, “Insurgent forces are presumed to have fled immediately after launching vehicle-carried rockets and mortars about 4-5 km away from the base walls.” Kurdish militia forces have set up checkpoints and are patrolling the area 3-5 km outside the base walls.
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Immediately after the incident, the Zaytun Division beefed up security and took shelter in underground entrenchments. At 11:40 p.m., U.S. helicopters started searching the area.
The incident follows suspension of the Zaytun Division’s civil operations after a May 4 car bombing of a police recruitment station in downtown Irbil and intelligence of possible attacks on Korean troops. Meanwhile, political controversy is also possible over whether to accept a UN request for Korean troops to guard an office of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) being constructed in downtown Arbil.
Let me get this right, 3,000 ROK Army soldiers have been completely neutralized by four mortar rounds that landed 500 meters from their camp? These soldiers do not conduct any operations within the city because of a car bombing that occured three months ago not even directed against them, they don’t guard their own camp; the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters do that, and they don’t want to guard a UN building in Arbil. So what do they do over there?
This is something I have been wondering about since the beginning of the deployment. I have been against this deployment since it was first initiated because I have had reservations about if Korea would actually carry out meaningful reconstruction. The Kurdish people may be feeling the same way now.
The Kurdish Peshmerga keep tight security over there for the ROK Army causing me to wonder if this mortar attack is nothing more than the Kurds sending the Koreans a message to quit playing Starcraft and to get off their base and do something or get the heck out of here. The Peshmerga are tough, battle hardened, & proud group of fighters and they cannot be to impressed by these 3,000 Korean soldiers hiding inside their base doing nothing after Korea promised reconstruction and all the Kurds got to show for it is a few new toilets.
Dropping a few mortar rounds is well used tactic over there against American forces if the locals feel they are not receiving the reconstruction aid they believe they are due. I was on an airbase over there for awhile when a bunch of Iraqis that worked on the base were fired by the new incoming commander for security reasons. The base had never been mortared before but the next day the mortar rounds started coming in. Not close enough to kill anyone but close enough to send a message. Two weeks later Iraqis were working on the airfield again and the mortaring stopped. Sound familiar?
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3:14 pm on January 6th, 2007 1
GI,
Do you suppose the Koreans need a self-esteem workshop to help motivate them? After all, according to you they suffer an inferiority complex.
From what I understand, Korean men don’t have sufficient role-models produced by Hollywood.
3:16 pm on January 6th, 2007 2
I want to make clear that this is not the fault of the ROK Army. The ROK Army is more than capable of conducting meaningful reconstruction and security missions. The politicians in South Korea won’t let them do it because they do not want any casaulties. I’m of the opinion that if you are not there for reconstruction or security assistance then get out. President Roh’s Iraq policy makes Korea look like a 3rd world American lacky. It is obvious the Korean government doesn’t want them there but they only do it because they don’t want to lose future reconstruction contracts in Iraq. So to appease the anti-war elements in Korea, the Korean corporations, and the US government the ROK Army force in Iraq is locked on their compound and cannot leave. So the current policy works for everyone involved except the Iraqi people. But who cares about them anyway? Obviously Korea doesn’t.
3:18 pm on January 6th, 2007 3
I concur with GI Korea. Korean military in Iraq has one mission, and one mission only. That mission is to avoid any casualties. As soon as there are casualties in Iraq, the government in Korea will be in deep deep trouble, as candle light protests against the war in Iraq will light up like Christmas trees. So why are the Koreans in there? Because if they are not, the US would have pulled all their troops out of S.Korea. But in the end, that may not matter much because the US will end up pulling all their troops out of Korea anyway.
3:20 pm on January 6th, 2007 4
Good clarifications. I agree.
3:46 pm on January 6th, 2007 5
Its true, the liberals in control of the government, are tarnishing the ROK army’s reputation and capabilities. They don’t care and take no pride in their showing off the military, just so long as they can keep their job.