Posted on 08/23/2003 8:35:30 AM PDT by a_Turk
TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces killed two Iraqis and wounded two others while intervening in clashes between Kurds and Turkmen in the ethnically divided northern Iraqi oil hub of Kirkuk, an army spokeswoman said Saturday.
The fighting marked a flare-up of tension around Kirkuk between Kurds and Turkmen, two minority groups at odds over their share of political power in a city that both say the deposed Iraqi government tried to drive them from in order to Arabise the site of Iraq (news - web sites)'s richest oil reserves.
Major Josslyn Aberle, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry division, which is deployed in the area, said a U.S. patrol came under fire Friday fighting between Kurds and Turkmen in the town of Tuz Khurmatu, outside of Kirkuk.
"They were fighting over a shrine that Turkmens rebuilt and had put up that had been banned under Saddam. It was destroyed ...and when the patrol showed up, the groups were fighting over it. Some Turkmen turned fire on the patrol, so we shot back," she said.
Dozens of Turkmen, some waving the flag of an Iraqi Turkmen political party, marched through Baghdad Friday, accusing Iraqi Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of killing several Turkmen during confrontations over the shrine.
Both groups regarded themselves as persecuted minorities in Kirkuk under the rule of Iraq's Baath party, during which they say they say they were expelled from the city and replaced by Arabs from other parts of the country in a bid to change its demographic character.
Fighters from Talabani's PUK and another Kurdish faction overran the city during the U.S.-led war to oust Saddam, drawing warnings from neighboring Turkey, which fears any expansion of autonomy among Kurds in northern Iraq could rekindle separatism in its own Kurdish population.
Iraq's Turkmen, a vestige of the time when the Ottoman empire ruled the country, resent the appointment of a Kurdish governor in Kirkuk by U.S. forces, and have complained of persecution at the hands of Kurds who have returned to the city after being expelled under Saddam.
Correction: Turkmen and Kurds migrated to that area from the northeast of Iran and beyond together before the Ottoman Empire ever came into existence.
Bottom line: Kurdish Peshmerga killed 7 Turkmen yesterday, US soldiers killed 2 Turkmen today.
One of the biggest goals of the Iraqi war is to keep the country intact without a civil war breaking out.
ROTFLMAO
That window of opportunity has long since closed.
Sadly, Turkey didn't enter Iraq with the U.S. back in March, so now Turkish interests in Iraq are not going to be properly watched over, by default if not by design.
I fear that Turkey's siding with France in this matter will eventually show to be a very poor choice for Turks everywhere. The French make for poor allies, after all.
I do not pretend to understand this very complicated situation but Turkey seems to be getting alone with the KDP and has had dealings in the past with them. OTH the Kurdish Workers's party PKK (recently re-named to something else, I believe), PUK and Iran seem to be on the other side.
The PKK killed thousands of Turkish citizens, mostly Kurds, in the 1980s and 1990s. Michael Tremoglie, FrontPageMagazine.com, March 19, 2003 explained the connections between the Marxists PKK and our own leftists traitors.
Turkey is a long-time friend and ally. Modern Turkey founded in 1923 is based upon western principles, a constitution adopted later, and it reformed Islam. It seems to me that if the more powerful PDK and Turkey do get along Turkey is the one we need to help bring western civilization to Iraq. It is in Turkey's interest.
BTW, it's been said Turkey wants the oil fields. I do not believe that is true. I've seen contrary evidence. If there is evidence that it is true where is it?
Then more will die. Is that what the Turkish people want? It had better be.
Source?
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Ambassador W. Robert Pearson's Remarks Following |
Ambassador Pearson: Let me just give a few brief remarks to try to characterize the visits of General Jones and General Abizaid. First from the American side, we were very delighted that the Turkish General Staff were able to receive these two commanders -- the Commander for forces in Europe, the Commander for forces in the central region -- on a single day. We, too, wanted this to be seen as a clear reaffirmation of the strong ties between our two militaries and a recognition of the pride and honor and respect with which we hold the Turkish forces in our work. The two generals discussed several things, and let me mention it briefly. One of the issues we discussed was the review of Turkish proposals that Ambassador Ziyal had presented a couple of weeks ago in Washington for help on Iraqi reconstruction. I think we will have more to say on that subject when the Foreign Minister is in Washington. Secondly, the two generals discussed new coordination channels initiated by the joint military commission -- the fact-finding group -- to prevent the reccurrence of anything like this regrettable Suleymaniye event. Thirdly, the two discussed with the General Staff further information about a coordinated approach to eliminating the PKK/KADEK in Northern Iraq. They received information about the thoughts from the Turkish side with respect to the Repentance Law, and that was a useful discussion. Next, the two generals informally discussed further the U.S. and Turkish interest concerning the stability force, and the rebuilding of Iraq. Both sides agreed that there were many unknowns still to be addressed, but they agreed to continue informal discussions. Finally, there was a discussion about the issue of rebuilding the Iraqi national army and other security institutions such as police and border security institutions in order to further stabilize the situation in Iraq. So it was a successful visit from the American standpoint. We appreciated very much the hospitality of our Turkish colleagues, and the entire visit was conducted in a spirit of professionalism, friendliness, courtesy and respect. Thank you very much.
Q: Could you elaborate some of those points?
Ambassador Pearson: I really shouldn't, because they are in discussion. I wanted to give you major themes. But these are issues under discussion, and we'll let the two sides continue those discussions and then the details will continue to come out. Thank you all very much.
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