Posted on 04/29/2006 9:19:35 PM PDT by Wiz
ANKARA [MENL] -- Iraq has become increasingly concerned over a major Turkish military invasion of Kurdistan.
The two countries have met to discuss what diplomatic sources said was Turkish military deployment along the Iraqi border. The sources said Baghdad asserted that Turkish troops have been entering Iraq in pursuit of Kurdish insurgents.
"This [deployment] is only aimed to prevent infiltrations of the terrorist organization into Turkey," Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said. "Our security forces are taking measures because with the arrival of spring the terrorists have become active and are infiltrating our borders."
So far, the Turkish military was said to have penetrated 10 kilometers into Iraq in the operation against the Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK. Ankara has been aided by a 2,000-soldier Turkish contingent, based in northern Iraq prior to the U.S.-led invasion in 2003
(Excerpt) Read more at menewsline.com ...
The Turks are going for hot-pursuit of the PKK. This was their policy before the war, and now that the PKK is starting back up, inevitably it will be their policy now.
Before the war, the Turks and the establishment Kurds had an understanding, and it looks like they are moving back in that direction. Their understanding will have to limit Turkish incursions to the area surrounding PKK bases. Politically the establishment Kurds probably can't do anything about the PKK, so they will leave it to the Turks.
ping
I wouldn't believe anything the Turks say. Further, their policy before the war is irrelevant. Iraq is now an ally.
But the PKK is not.
If turkey goes after the Kurds in Iraq, then American soldiers should come to the aid of the kurds and kill as many turd turks as possible.
Turkey is not our friend.
Man, this forum is chock full of idiots and some guy pretending to be a bunch of different users taking advantage..
"Ankara has been aided by a 2,000-soldier Turkish contingent, based in northern Iraq prior to the U.S.-led invasion in 2003..."
I hadn't realized they were still there.
But it supports my belief that post-war, just like before the war, the "establishment Kurds" and the Turks will have an understanding about PKK. The Turks will do what they have to do, where the PKK is concerned. The other Kurd factions will stay out of the way, and the Turks will try not to drag them into it.
The US will do nothing to impede Turk actions against PKK, as long as they don't go beyond that. And the Turks won't go beyond that, because they will limit their focus to their immediate security problem, and other geo-political issues will remain on the back burner.
Anyway, thats my prediction.
Please explain to a neophyte what the heck is going on.
PKK is a terrorist group operating in eastern Turkey, has operated there for years. They are marxist in orientation. And they have often used Iraqi Kurdistan as a sanctuary.
The Turks, prior to the war, would enter Iraqi Kurdistan at will in hot pursuit, and eventually stationed a unit of soldiers there permanently.
The PKK had called a truce, after the capture of their leader, in hopes his death sentence would be commuted, and while his sentence has not been commuted, it has not been carried out either as far as I know.
But in recent months, the PKK has started up its attacks again. So, naturally, the Turks are back in force, and have resumed their policy of hot pursuit.
The Iraqi Kurds aren't too happy to see the Turks coming in and out at will, but so far the Turks have confined their operations to the region where the PKK is based. Since the Iraqi Kurds are politically unable to do anything about the PKK, and really the US doesn't want anything to do with that problem, its easier for everyone to just look the other way and let Turkey handle it. They may complain a bit for the press, but my expectation is that they have all arrived at an understanding under the table, and the Turks have the green light to do what they have to do.
ping to #11
Thanks, that clears it up a bit.
Thanks for chiming in. I am so sick of these STUPID propagandinsts, I don't know why I still visit here.
Who are you calling a turd, turd?
For a little lucre turkey turned its back on America and American soldiers.
American soldiers died for a few extra shake down dollars there turd.
Check out the facts of prewar b.s. by the back stabbing p.o.s. turd turks.
What's the matter there pal, can't handle the facts?
I know all the facts, and this additional one: You're calling me a turd but you're sht for brains.
go kiss a greek.
deal.
As the old leftist saying goes: "One mans terrorist is another man's freedom fighter". In this case, the saying has a little validity.
Kurdistan was an emirate within the Ottoman Empire, and briefly became an independent nation after WWI. Ataturk invaded Kurdistan and Armenia and annexed them into Turkey, and the two sides have been fighting ever since. The Kurds want independence, and the Turks insist that it's part of Turkey. A look at the history of the fight shows that neither side is completely right, and that they've both fought like terrorists.
The big thing for many conservatives, though, is that the PKK is officially marxist. Since Turkey was a US ally in the Cold War, the Soviets gave money to the PKK to help destabilize Turkey. While the Soviets are gone, their influence still runs through the upper ranks of the PKK. It turns a lot of people in the west off to their cause.
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