No Fallen Comrade Left Unavenged
By Greg Walker
“Major Guy Richard Barattieri, 36, a Special Forces officer assigned to the SODPAC, deployed to Iraq several times, both as a Citizen-Soldier and a private contractor. MAJ Barattieri died on October 4th, after suffering mortal wounds from an improvised explosive device in Baghdad, Iraq. In 2002, then-CPT Barattieri deployed as an SF Detachment Commander to Kuwait in support of Operation Desert Spring. Selected as part of the initial spearhead during the liberation of Iraq on 20 March 2003, MAJ Barattieri’s team led the 101st Infantry Division on its march to Baghdad. For his combat achievements, MAJ Barattieri was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge.”
Major Guy “Bear” Barattieri, Company A, 1/19th SFG(A), Washington NG
I returned home in late 2004. Another American Special Forces soldier, also from the unit I belonged to, came in behind me as Falcon’s director of security in Baghdad. He brought with him Major Guy “Bear” Barattieri as his 2IC. In 2006, while conducting a site security assessment for Falcon, both Bear and a third American also with Falcon were ambushed and killed.
Peshraw learned the Iraqi police roadblock that re-directed their vehicle was in fact part of the planned ambush. While attending Bear’s funeral in Washington State I learned Peshraw’s intelligence people successfully identified all those insurgent connected police at the roadblock…and retribution was swift and without mercy.
In 2014, Peshraw and I exchanged emails regarding what was occurring in Erbil as well as elsewhere in Kurdistan.
From: Peshraw Agha <peshraw@falcon
Sat, Aug 9, 2014, 4:01?AM
To: me
Greg,
Thank you for your asking. We are fine and Kurdistan is safe. Just we have same problem but not in safe cities.
Best Regards,
Peshraw Agha
But Erbil had become very unsafe from 2020 onward as Iran began counter-intelligence operations inside Kurdistan as well as missile and drone attacks against selected targets. As early as 2022, efforts to see U.S. Patriot missile batteries placed in Erbil—to protect the U.S. air base co-located with Erbil’s international airport (built by Falcon Group) and the Kurdish government—were stalled. In Baghdad the Iraqi government was not interested in giving the green light for such batteries if they were meant to protect the Kurdish People to any degree, and the current U.S. administration in Washington, DC, likewise had no interest nor a cogent understanding of the importance the Kurds have in providing a reasonably safe haven for U.S. troops stationed there as well as direct and indirect support of Intelligence operations targeting Islamic forces such as ISIS, AQ, and others.
Falcon Security director Greg Walker (L) with his successor, Tom Bigley (R) in Baghdad, Iraq, 2004. (Author Collection)
“But Monday night’s attack was markedly different than these tit-for-tat strikes. The White House confirmed shortly after the attack that “no
U.S. personnel or facilities” had been targeted in either Erbil or Syria. It also called the IRGC strikes “reckless and imprecise.”
“The attack was undoubtedly “reckless,” but it wasn’t necessarily imprecise. Iran has proven time and again over the years the accuracy of its ballistic missiles, beginning with its September 2018 pinpoint strike against the headquarters of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group based in Iraqi Kurdistan.
“It’s not even the first time Iran has targeted the villa of a Kurdish businessman in Erbil.
“On Mar. 13, 2022, the IRGC fired 12 Fateh-110 ballistic missiles at the villa of Baz Karim Barzanji. At that time, the paramilitary also claimed to have targeted “strategic centers” belonging to Israel in the Kurdish capital. In reality, they targeted Barzanji’s villa because they opposed a plan involving Barzanji’s KAR Group company to supply Turkey and Europe with gas, according to a Reuters exclusive.”
Iran may have killed the man but it did not and cannot kill his vision for a free Kurdistan.
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