Oct 10 2007

US tells Turkey to stay out of Iraq

Uh oh.

A short except as I don’t have permission for a full cross-post – (I’ve put in a request to site editor – if that comes, I’ll update):

Turkey and America’s strategic partnership is at risk because of the tension growing between the Turkish army on the border of Iraq and the ~3,000 outlawed PKK Kurdish fighters said to be using the mountainous region as a base from which to strike inside Turkey:

The Turkish government is seeking parliamentary approval for a possible cross-border military operation to hunt down Kurdish separatists in Iraq.

Here’s a link to the story.

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  1. The link has more.  Also just noticed you can double click on any word while there and get a pop-up with more info.  Not sure how they’re doing that, but it’s a brilliant feature.

  2. For a couple of weeks just before the start of the war.

    On one of the English news channels (might even have been CNN International), they talked about one of the big worries going into the war was whether or not Turkey would take the opportunity to attack / invade the Kurds from the north.

    It was a real concern at the time.

    They showed a young couple preparing for their wedding in the same mountainous region often discussed as a hot spot. They were very worried about how much time they would have together.

    The story stayed with me, and now when I read stuff like this I too get very nervous.

    What a fricken mess.

    Cheers.

  3. Even though there’s it may not escalate (there’s a blurb on the link where they discuss how Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds have cut some sort of deal in the past to let the Turks in to go after the Turkish Kurds).  The implication is they may be doing that against.

    Even so, I think we’ve only tipped the iceberg on how bad things are going to get in the region. 

    Speaking of which:

    http://news.yahoo.co…

  4. Do you really require permission to cross-post?

    Thanks for the update.  The Kurds have had a hard road to travel.

  5. tribal and sectarian violence takes front seat sadly to this other violent dynamic that was also predicted by many sociologists before Dubya and Dick decided to ride into Iraq.  Very sad, it already wasn’t a good situation and nothing is any better now……..only less stable.

    • srkp23 on October 10, 2007 at 16:41
    • #

    may become further tensed due to the resolution on Armenian genocide that is pending in congress:

    ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – Turkey’s president warned the U.S. government Tuesday that their longtime ties will be harmed if Congress passes a resolution putting the genocide label on the mass killings of ethnic Armenians in Ottoman Turk lands during World War I.

    President Abdullah Gul said in a letter there would be “serious troubles” if Congress adopted the measure, which is expected to be considered Wednesday by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

  7. The New Anatolian interview with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) External Relations Director Safeen Dizayee, posted at KRG.org, pays respects to AK Party electoral victory although Gul has not officially recognized the KRG.

    TNA: Turkish officials in recent months have changed their demands from the KRG. Now they say all they want is for the Iraqi Kurdish leaders not to allow the PKK to feel at home in the Kurdistan region. What can be done to secure this?

    Dizayee: We do not deny the presence of PKK in the mountains. They have existed long before we were the authority in these regions. They were there since mid-80s under the former Iraqi regime’s authority. The presence of the PKK in these rugged mountains are not with our blessings nor we desire them to be there. Security experts know the region and its difficult terrain. In the past many operations were conducted but it did not resolve the issue. Even senior Turkish generals recently said that even if the army makes a cross border operation this does not mean end of the PKK. So that means we should try to explore other avenues to end this problem. Ending violence and bloodshed is the duty of every peace loving person.

    This in contrast to 28 Sept “terrorist” story KRG condemns Iranian shelling of border areas.
    What are the odds the real story is, the Anglo-EU media is trying to work a wedgie into Turkey and KRG bi-lateral trade?

  8. as a symbolic gesture to show their displeasure at the non-binding (isn’t it always) recognition of the Armenian Genocide at the end of the Ottoman Empire in 1915.

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