George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 351

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To speak of the Middle East today was to speak of a battlefield. It wasn’t much different before, but now the entire Middle East truly was a battlefield. Whether fortunately or unfortunately, it wasn’t a war between nations, but a domino effect of independence movements.

This was largely due to minority groups gaining power while Europe collectively called for peace and discouraged the oppression of these groups. It wasn’t so much that these groups or organizations didn’t already possess power, but rather that they were able to amplify it significantly in the intervening period.

In any case, the fact that even relatively peaceful Israel, a nation accused of 21st-century ethnic cleansing, was embroiled in conflict speaks volumes, doesn’t it?

Among these conflicts, the most intense was arguably the one between Iran and the Kurds. Both sides had compelling reasons to be desperate.

For Iran, it was, in essence, to defend its territory and its people. The Iranian government was stirring up the populace with a blend of truth and propaganda. Distinguishing fact from fiction required an objective perspective, which was nearly impossible amidst the fog of war.

Consequently, Iran was more united than ever. This unity translated into strength, and Iran’s economy transitioned entirely to a wartime footing as the government declared total war. Young men were conscripted en masse, while women and the elderly were mobilized to work in factories.

This was a natural consequence of a wartime system. As if to demonstrate its inherent strength, various factories were converted into munitions plants, churning out vast quantities of military supplies. The production rate was so high that transportation became the bottleneck, a truly impressive feat.

The Kurds, on the other hand, were a coalition of various factions, united by the belief that this was their last chance for true autonomy. In a typical war, they might have prioritized the survival of their own tribes and fighters. However, the widespread nature of the conflict in the Middle East, coupled with the lack of external intervention, made this a unique situation.

Notably, they had never fought simultaneous wars in multiple countries. The last time so many Kurds had united for war was during the brief existence of the Republic of Mahabad [a short-lived Kurdish state in Iran, 1946].

Even then, the circumstances were not ideal. Support from the Soviet Union, their primary backer, had largely disappeared, and the neighboring country that had previously checked Iran had been destroyed.

But now, the situation was different. The Kurdish independence army wasn’t weakening; instead, new recruits were joining the fight for a Kurdistan exclusively for Kurds, bolstering their ranks.

Furthermore, they had access to ample European weaponry, and the United States, whose interests aligned with theirs, was subtly providing support and logistical assistance. As a result, most fronts were either stalemated or, at worst, experiencing minor setbacks. They had never been unilaterally and helplessly pushed back without any means of resistance.

So, how was the war progressing? The Kurds had finally managed to advance into the territory they had long sought. And they possessed the strength to defend it. From this point forward, the war became a battle to demoralize the Iranian army and foster anti-war sentiment, as well as a war of occupation to seize additional territory.

Ironically, the area where the most Kurdish fighters perished in this war of occupation was right on their doorstep: Urmia.

Urmia was a city situated around Lake Urmia in eastern Iran. Lake Urmia was once the ‘largest lake’ in West Asia, but it had sadly lost that distinction due to dam construction, suffering a fate similar to the Aral Sea. However, even with its reduced depth, it remained too deep to wade across and too wide to swim or ford.

A road traversed the center of the lake, but capturing it would mean Urmia was already encircled, making it a moot point.

Moreover, any objects in the lake had long been destroyed. Small boats and simple floating devices alike had become sacrifices to the artillery fire of both sides.

To the west lay rugged mountainous terrain. However, the mountains themselves didn’t pose a significant obstacle to the Kurds, who were adept at navigating such landscapes.

And this was the city of longing for the Kurds living in Iran. It was originally part of Kurdistan, though not included in the territory of the former Republic of Mahabad. This area was both Iran’s historical territory and, previously, part of the Azerbaijan People’s Government [another Soviet-backed state that existed briefly in Iranian Azerbaijan in 1945-1946].

Frankly, the territory of the former Republic of Mahabad was desolate. Water resources were severely limited, and self-sufficiency in food was impossible. The land itself was poor. While soil quality was a factor, the primary issue was the terrain.

The majority of the former Republic of Mahabad’s territory consisted of barren mountains. Trees grew only near the few water sources, and the only green areas were farmland cultivated by humans.

This type of territory could never satisfy the ambitions of those gathered here now. While ‘ambitions’ might sound harsh, the natural resources and tax revenue from this pathetic wasteland couldn’t even sustain half of the army stationed there.

And that under-equipped army could never withstand the inevitable Iranian retaliation. Therefore, acquiring additional territory was not a choice but a necessity.

And Urmia was the first target in this war of territorial expansion.

“What the actual fuck!”

Shells rained down relentlessly from across the lake onto the city of Urmia. The days of dismissing the Iranian army’s reckless war of attrition as a meaningless waste were now a distant memory.

The plan to use civilians as human shields had also proven completely ineffective from the moment the shelling began. To advance, they would have to go around the lake, which meant crossing open agricultural fields.

This was something the Kurdish independence army, with its relatively weak air power and armored forces, couldn’t manage. The Kurds were bound to be pushed back in open terrain, even if they excelled at guerrilla warfare in rugged mountains.

Moreover, even if their armored forces were superior to the Iranian army, the outcome would be the same. The open fields were surrounded by mountains (except for the lake), and those mountains were controlled by the Iranian army. The open fields, viewed from the mountains, were nothing more than flatlands with easily visible targets.

Then, the only remaining option was the mountain range above the northern open field, but crossing that range would be a literal hell. Even if they managed to cross it with great difficulty, they would surely be ambushed by the Iranian army waiting for them. And if they moved in small groups to avoid detection, there would be no point in moving the army in the first place.

In a desperate scenario, they might try to divert attention with their remaining air assets and then somehow strike the rear with a large-scale helicopter airlift, scraping together everything from civilian to military aircraft. However, the dense anti-aircraft network deployed by the Iranian army quickly dissuaded them from such thoughts.

So, they went on the defensive, hunkering down and waiting for an opportunity to counterattack. If they waited long enough, they would eventually find an opening. It might sound irresponsible, but there were numerous instances in history where such a strategy had led to victory.

So, they would patiently endure, hoping to at least secure Urmia, even in the worst-case scenario.

“They’re really pounding us today.”

However, the soldiers, feeling the impact of the shells even through the vibrations in the basement of the building, couldn’t share that sentiment. Except for the minimum number of soldiers needed to maintain the front lines, most were stationed in the mountains or in makeshift underground bunkers or basements. Living underground with only a military lantern for light was far from pleasant.

“This is really disgustingly bad.”

The soldiers’ meals had long been replaced with canned goods imported from overseas. They couldn’t afford expensive solid fuel, and they couldn’t light a fire in the basement, so they were forced to eat lukewarm canned food.

Those stationed in the mountains were in a similar situation, as lighting a fire would reveal their location. The only consolation was that they had anti-aircraft weapons to defend against air attacks, even if they were detected. But even that was useless against aerial bombs dropped from high altitudes.

“If you’re not going to eat it, give it to me.”

“No, I’m just saying. Just saying.”

Nevertheless, the reason there were no major complaints was their shared patriotism. It might seem strange to call it patriotism since the country hadn’t been established yet, but they were united by a spirit of independence.

As they endured, the basement occasionally collapsed, causing soldiers to die senselessly, making the area the most blood-soaked ground for the Kurds since the start of the war. Ironically, the biggest problem for the Kurds wasn’t even here.

It was in eastern Iraq. Eastern Iraq had long promised land to the Kurds. To be precise, it was promised by the EU, but since the Kurds would eventually receive and administer the land, the distinction was minor. The problem was that support for eastern Iraq was cut off as the EU became embroiled in a war in western Iraq and gradually withdrew.

Eastern Iraq announced that it couldn’t hand over the land because it hadn’t received fair compensation, and the Kurds protested, creating another front. It would have been more efficient if Iran had joined forces with eastern Iraq to attack the Kurds at this time, but Iran and eastern Iraq didn’t have a good relationship either.

The Islamic fundamentalism practiced in eastern Iraq, which they had modified to their liking, was considered a completely insane pseudo-doctrine from Iran’s perspective. Logically, they would never form a common front with such a country.

Moreover, Iran believed it could drive out the Kurds on its own. Nevertheless, eastern Iraq’s harassment of the Kurds would inevitably push the already manpower-strapped Kurds into a defensive position. However, the problem was that eastern Iraq happened to get into a fight with Kuwait at the same time.

Kuwait was one of the countries that had been severely affected by the US-Russia-Saudi oil war and had drastically reduced its defense spending. Unfortunately, it shared a border with eastern Iraq. The reason for the war was simply that. Since eastern Iraq was essentially a haven for terrorists, it could decide on war for the sole reason of ‘holy war.’

Western Iraq, whose army had been almost completely dismantled, had neither the will nor the ability to attack eastern Iraq, and Saudi Arabia monitored eastern Iraq but had no intention of helping Kuwait and going to war in earnest.

The United States, which had been standing by, condemned eastern Iraq’s war of aggression and ordered the carrier strike group stationed in the Persian Gulf to bomb eastern Iraq.

In reality, the top priority was to check Iran and reduce its influence through the Kurds, with eastern Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait being a secondary concern. However, eastern Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait provided a justification for attacking eastern Iraq.

The problem was that the US president at the time, George W. Bush, didn’t have fond memories of Iraq, so he tried to minimize the burden of war as much as possible. However, fearing that Iraq would become a mess again if the number of involved parties increased, he selected a few countries over which it was difficult to exert influence.

Among them, he requested troop deployments from Afghanistan and South Korea, which explains why Hyun Won-seop was foaming at the mouth in the South Korean presidential office.