Still branded a terrorist organization by the US and the EU
In their distinctive khaki-grey uniforms, their ranks including battle-hardened female fighters – a rarity in most parts of the Middle East – they took up positions in and around Erbil, including the Sami Abdulrahman Park, a sprawling green expanse in the heart of the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.
As the ISIS onslaught inched dangerously close to Erbil, the fighters from the PKK (Kurdistan Worker’s Party) -- a Marxist group that waged a 30-year armed struggle against the Turkish state -- had arrived to help their Iraqi brethren in their fight against the Islamist terrorists
“The PKK and US Marines near the Sinjar area [in northern Iraq] apparently had some interaction assessing the situation,
What do the Kurdish peshmerga fighters have to say about the PKK
“The PKK are very experienced fighters. They are mobile, agile, tactical fighters,” explained Carduchi Consulting’s Zulal. “Although you can’t compare the PKK with ISIS – who are deranged and ruthless killers – the PKK has been a match for ISIS.”
Now we are working with Marxists.
After rescuing the devil worshippers, because as our dear old talibangelicals pointed out President Obama is a devil worshiper, now because President Obama is a communist, we are fighting with the Marxists. They of course will see no disconnect. No doubt President Obama will bring back the PKK to work with, the Yazidi people, and the all brand spanking new Black panthers to convert the US into a devil worshiping white Christian oppressing Communist State, with Kenyan overlords.
But the strangest thing [well it is new to me] in the article is that we have tiers of terrorist groups
Tier I
These organizations are also referred to as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). FTOs are foreign organizations that are designated by the Secretary of State in accordance with section 219 of the INA, as amended. There are three basic criteria for an organization to be considered an FTO:
It must be a foreign organization.
The organization must engage in terrorist activity, as defined in section 212 (a)(3)(B) of the INA (8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(3)(B)), or terrorism, as defined in or retain the capability and intent to engage in terrorist activity or terrorism.
The organization’s terrorist activity or terrorism must threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security (national defense, foreign relations, or the economic interests) of the United States.
Tier II
The Secretary of State, in consultation with or upon the request of the Attorney General, may designate terrorist organizations for immigration purposes, after a finding that the organization engages in terrorist activity as defined in section 212(a)(3)(B)(iv) of the INA (8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(3)(B)(iv)); see section 212(a)(3)(B)(vi) of the INA. This authority is known as the “Terrorist Exclusion List (TEL)” authority. A TEL designation will generally exclude aliens associated with entities on the TEL from entering the United States.
Tier III
These groups are defined by law as “a group of two or more individuals, whether organized or not, which engages in, or has a subgroup which engages in,” terrorist activity. Tier III groups are also called “undesignated terrorist organizations” because they qualify as terrorist organizations based on their activities alone without undergoing a formal designation process like Tier I and Tier II organizations.
Instead, the determination of whether a group can be considered a Tier III organization is made on a case-by-case basis, in connection with the review of an application for an immigration benefit. Tier III organizations arise and change over time.
Going back to the original article
They note that the Iraqi KDP and PUK are listed as “Tier III” terrorist organisations by the US State Department under a post-9/11 law that created a three-level scale for groups that have engaged in armed struggle in the past.
If you are getting confused, join the club, but there are exemptions
Exemptions
The Secretaries of State and Homeland Security, can grant exemptions from the terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds for much of the activity covered under the statute (see section 212(d)(3)(B) of the INA).
Help.
Then of course when we look at our friends in the region.....yikes
Well all I can say is......
Aint life strange; and a thank you to G W Bush and his merry band of necons for kicking the hornets nest.