Yesterday, Amnon Lord profiled Brig. Gen. (res) Tsuri Sagi (sometimes spelled Tzuri Saguy) at the Israeli website, Mida. In 1966, Sagi helped create the modern Kurdish army. In the 1960’s the Kurds were fighting for autonomy from the central Iraqi government.

In 1966, the Iraqi army had blocked off a valley in the mountains and was waiting for the snow to melt to drive out the Kurdish forces. Sagi recounted, “They brought me maps, I did a situational assessment, and I prepared a defensive plan appropriate for the Kurds, with fighting methods which matched both their character and their fighting capabilities.” When the Kurdish commanders complained that they didn’t have the soldiers, Sagi told them to recruit them. When the Iraqi assault against the Kurds started in May, things didn’t look good for the Kurds.

“But Mustafa Barazani didn’t believe in open battle. He was used to the method of getting close to Iraqi bases, shooting and killing a few soldiers, and retreating.” With the help of brothers Massud (now President of Kurdistan) and Idris Barazani, Tsuri positioned the forces, and Mustafa, who didn’t believe in any of it, waited to see what would happen. After three days of artillery bombardment and another three days like that, “in the northern sector, my positions started to fall. I talked to the Iranians: Where’s my ammunition?! The situation seemed very bad. I reported what was going on to Israel. They gave an order: activate the evacuation plan. Run away from the field. In fact, from the outset no-one thought that I would really hold out. I replied that I will not run away, period. I asked Maki Ever (Tsuri Sagi’s intelligence officer from the Mossad) who’s the best brigade in the Iraqi army. He said: 4th Brigade.

We decided to prepare a trap for the brigade. They were going up the slopes of the Endoram Mountain. They would go in and Tsuri Sagi’s forces would attack on both sides of the channel in a sandwich attack. “Within an hour 4th Brigade ceased to exist. I sent a telegram to Israel, and the head of IDF intelligence Arele Yariv said that it can’t be.”

Sagi’s ties to the Kurds have endured.

Today, Tsuri Sagi says, based on personal information, that the Kurds are once again very worried, and not just from ISIS. … “The Israelis are the only ones they trust,” he said.

A few weeks ago Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced his support for Kurdish independence. This week saw pro-Israel and pro-Kurdish demonstrators teaming up in both Washington D. C. and Tel Aviv.

In Say it Again. Kurdish Independence Now that was published in the September 2013 issue of The Tower Magazine, Jonathan Spyer commented on the shared political values of Israel and the Kurds:

Indeed, other than Israel, the KRG in northern Iraq is the most pro-Western of all the non-monarchical governments in the region. The ruling KDP is openly and outspokenly pro-Western and pro-American. And unlike the Arab monarchies, its pro-Western orientation is deeply rooted in popular sentiment.

[Photo: KurdishLiberty / YouTube ]