Posted on 06/12/2018 10:55:30 AM PDT by Texas Fossil
Unable to accept the enhancing status of the Kurds, the Turkish state has over the course of past few months ratcheted up its belligerent approach towards the Kurdistan Freedom Movement. Parallel with its illegal invasion/occupation of the Efrîn Canton in Syria, the Turkish army has been deploying forces inside a sovereign territory, internationally recognised as northern Iraq. Its avowed intention is to “eradicate” the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) whose spreading influence and growing popular support around the world is clearly evident for any independent observer.
This is not the first time that the Turkish army is embarking on such an over-ambitious and admittedly impossible task. It was in 1983, a year before the declaration by the PKK of an armed struggle against Turkey, that the Turkish army entered northern Iraq in a bid to contain the PKK challenge. This marked the first in a long pattern of cross-border incursion.
In 1995 the Turkish army launched two operations, which involved 35,000 and 3,000 troops respectively, whose cost stood at $65 million. This was Turkey’s largest military operation in over 70 years, bigger than the invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Amongst Turkey’s major purposes was not only the “eradication of the PKK” but also to prevent the formation of what it now is the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), with whom Turkey has now entered into a cordial relationship. During the operation Turkish jet fighters attacked targets over 100 miles inside the “safe haven” created by the US to protect the civilian Kurds from Iraqi forces.
Not only have these attacks failed to change anything on the ground, but they have also cast further doubt on the much-vaunted capability of the Turkish army, challenging its once dominant position in the whole political system and preventing it from moving in the direction of democratisation.
(Excerpt) Read more at theregion.org ...
Erdogan faces an election on the 24th. He is desperate. He "recommended" the courts try his jailed HDP Presidential candidate opponent quickly.
He has done everything he can to "fix" the election.
And I've read that he has been hammering with his forces inside of Iraq since he captured Afrin. And that his losses of soldier's lives are large.
The Global Community must decide to stop looking the other way with Turkey.
Are those two things on this planet?
I talked to a Turk this week....who left Turkey and resettled in Germany (in the past year). Her take is that fifty-percent of society are pro-Erdogan, but the economic situation in the country is failing and that the bulk of people just want some kind of change (meaning Erdogan needs to go). If you look at the currency business....it’s in serious jeopardy.
The long term plan was for Erdogan ‘junior’ to take his place, but that was like five years in the future. I don’t think they can wait that long.
I’ll also suggest that military strength might not be as great as it was three years ago before the coup. He put a number of officers and sergeants into prison. It’s not the same military as it was before.
“Afrin” “Qandil” “Erdogan”
Do pharmaceutical companies get their naming ideas from Turkey?
2 things? Turkey and Quandil?
Yes, I should have explained at end of title. Sorry.
Turkey has many times invaded Iraq and pursued what Turkey calls Terrorists. (bear in mind, Turkey shelters thousands of ISIS Terrorists and Nusra (al-Qaeda Terrorists).
Qandil is a large mountain in Iraq and Iran that for centuries been a shelter by those pursued by the Ottoman Empire and Turkey. It is a very strong natural fortress.
Valid assessment.
smile
They are favored names for certain groups.
Hi.
I still have problems with the PKK shooting at me.
Bunch of communists.
5.56mm
Ohhh.. they sounded like characters from a sci-fi movie.
Mr Erdogan is poking multiple hornets nests at the same time. Venturing into Syria. Venturing into Iraq. Consolidating hardline muslin control nationwide. And the value of his money is in a nose dive.
What could go wrong?
” It is a very strong natural fortress.”
An old rule of thumb, to defeat an entrenched enemy, the next unit size is the minimum recommended to accomplish the task.
A company to take out a platoon, battalion for a company...
More like he wants to destroy them without any boots on the ground?
Considering Erdogan’s relationship with his officer corps, will they bleed for him?
SDF (YPG/YPJ) are not PKK. (Although Turkey says they are.)
Bahoz Ardal(PKK): YPG is not branch of PKK
http://www.hawarnews.com/en/haber/bahoz-ardal-ypg-is-not-branch-of-pkk-h1856.html
Well, that may be appropriate, they fight daily with animals that resemble those in the Bar Scene in Star Wars.
While I agree with sanctions, they won't do anything except give him a further consolidation of power (he can blame everyone else and build support)
The fact is that Erdogan does have 40% to 50% popularity and he has gutted all opposition to him from the military, courts, opposition.
I don't see how the Global community can do anything
Quite frankly I think it will be good if Turkey was chucked out of NATO and thenPutin would pounce and grab Constantinople
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