It is not such a long way from here to northern Iraq.
"The security forces will not stay in northern Iraq a very long time," he said.
The group was forced out of northern Iraq by a huge attack during the war.
American interests in northern Iraq are far less clear at this point.
But he does not talk about what happened to him in the mountains of northern Iraq.
One uncertainty is the number of people who died in northern Iraq.
"Perhaps they can go on to northern Iraq," he said.
This group, several hundred strong, is based in a corner of northern Iraq.
Then he worked on providing food and other aid in northern Iraq.
In northern Iraq, some gasoline lines are three days long.