Military trucks carry tanks toward Sirnak near the Turkish-Iraq border, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2007, two days after Kurdish rebels killed 15 Turkish soldiers at the Turkey-Iraq border. Turkey said Tuesday it had begun preparations for a military operation into Iraq to chase Kurdish rebels whose deadly attacks on soldiers in recent days triggered public outrage. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)
Turkey issues fresh warning of military incursion into Iraq (click here)
20 hours ago
ANKARA (AFP) — Turkey on Tuesday threatened a military incursion in northern Iraq as part of stepped up measures against Kurdish rebel bases there following the deaths of 15 soldiers in weekend attacks.
The government said in a statement that it had given orders allowing for all legal, economic and political measures, "including a cross-border operation if necessary," against a "terrorist organisation in a neighbouring country".
The statement was taken to refer to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) presence in Iraq.
Earlier, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had met senior government and military officials to discuss tougher action against the PKK after the rebels killed 15 soldiers in weekend attacks. The group is listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community.
Ankara says the PKK enjoys free movement in northern Iraq and obtains weapons and explosives there for attacks across the border.
It has also accused Iraqi Kurds of tolerating and even supporting the rebels....
This ought to be interesting. The USA invades Iraq illegally and now the 'idea' that Turkey is taking over in the northern regions is typical of the anarchic Bush White House. No structure, just shoot from the hip and let's profit in the aftermath.
Iraq is a battlefield. At the time when the USA Executive Branch is finally coming to terms with the civilian element in Iraq, when Maliki FINALLY stood up for his citizens against the USA's military and mercenaries; the country that was once Iraq is turning into "The Battlefield of the Ethnicities."
What a mess. The USA military needs to leave Iraq to prevent a war with Turkey !
It goes like this. The Kurds and Turkey have been enemies for a long time. When Bush invaded Iraq, the Kurds never wanted it because they had set up a democrary under the northern no fly zone and it worked for them. They had their own economy, shadow government and military. The PKK, no matter how unpopular and viewed by most diplomats as a terrorist group, have always wanted to establish a Kurdistan.
Iraqi Kurds warn Turkey (click here)
By Jim Muir BBC correspondent in Erbil, northern Iraq
The Kurds of northern Iraq have warned that there will be clashes if troops from neighbouring Turkey cross the border.
Ankara is demanding that Turkish forces should enter the north of the country to secure Turkey's interests if the US and Britain go ahead with an attack on Iraq.
Kurdish spokesmen have said that their guerrillas who control the north will oppose any Turkish intervention.
Regional tensions are rising in advance of expected military action by the US and its allies and the atmosphere between two of those allies - the Turks and the Iraqi Kurds - is becoming increasingly embittered....
To cut to the bottom line, Bush was never able to build the military of Iraq from the ground up. Quite the contrary. After destroying Saddam's military every self respecting citizen of Iraq ran the other way when Bush attempted to assemble a significant force called Iraqi police and military. There are lots of reasons for that, but, one of the reasons the Kurds don't throw in enthusiastically is because a large force in Iraq would dampen any authority they already have established.
Besides that, Bush is still hoping for his war with Iran. So if he can't put together a substantial Iraqi military that will ally with the USA, he'll settle for a Turkish military allied with the USA to invade Iran. See, with Turkey invading already identied 'terrorist' territory in northern Iraq and southeast Turkey it will 'appear' as though there are actually three allies working together to rid the area of PKK. The three would be the USA, Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds. Therefore, when it comes down to invading Iran there will be a coalition of supposedly three countries, Iraq, Turkey and the USA and it's coalition. But, that isn't the case. Iraq has turned away from putting together an autonomous military as it would overpower and control the outcomes of the already victimized populous of Kurds and Shi'ites.
What is occurring in Iraq today, is a slight of hand by many. By Turkey, by Bush's military and by the Iraqi Central Authority in the Green Zone. If Bush is able to 'pull off' this deception to the American legislature, he'll again take it to the UN and then proceed to override the initiative at the UN as he did with Iraq and invade Iran, but, this time with not just his contingent of military but also a full compliment of ambitious Turkish military INSTEAD of a allied Iraq military. That is why the Petraeus strategy won't work. The so called insurgency will be a predominantly Shi'ite military with loyalities to their religion before their government and they will more than likely 'turn on' the Turks and USA rather than fight along side of them. With that will enter the picture Iran backed, if not allied with Russia and China and then the Middle East will turn into a blood bath.
The Turks don't belong in Iraq, they belong at their borders protecting their sovereignty.
End of Discussion !
