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Turkey, U.S. Talk Measures Against Rebels
The United States and Turkey have discussed possible military measures against an estimated 5,000 Turkish Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, the Turkish military said Saturday. The statement came a day after two top U.S. generals held talks in the Turkish capital in an apparent effort to smooth relations between the two countries. Gen. John Abizaid, the new head of U.S. Central Command, and Gen. James L. Jones, who serves both as NATOâs supreme allied commander and the head of U.S. forces in Europe, met separately Friday with Turkeyâs top military brass, including military leader Gen. Hilmi Ozkok. Turkeyâs military said the two sides discussed ``what can be done jointlyââ against the Kurdish ``terror organizationââ in northern Iraq. In view of the detention incident, both sides decided to establish better coordination. The United States alleged the Turkish soldiers detained in the Iraqi city of Sulaymaniyah were part of a plot to assassinate an Iraqi Kurdish official. Turkey denied the plot. Is this what the Turks mean by âbetter coordinationâ? Turkey maintains several thousand troops in northern Iraq to chase Kurdish rebels who fought a 15-year war for autonomy in southeastern Turkey and to monitor the situation in northern Iraq. But those troops fall outside the scope of the U.S.-led mission. The Turkish military said the two sides also discussed other military cooperation to establish stability and security in Iraq. The statement did not elaborate. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who plans to travel to Washington next week, said the United States would ask Turkey to contribute peacekeepers to Iraq. No-o-o-o! Donât do that! Posted by: Steve White 2003-07-20 |
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