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Turkey readies troops for Iraq war
The Turkish General Staff says it has ordered all of its troops in the eastern part of the country to be prepared for a possible U.S.-led war with Iraq. The soldiers are later to be moved to the border with Iraq while troops from other units in different parts of the country are then deployed in the eastern part of Turkey. Turkish troops are being trained intensively and the army's needs are being identified and supplied, officials told CNN Turk. The confirmation comes after reports over the weekend that Turkey was moving troops up to its border with Iraq. Heard this, now it seems to be bigger than first reported. Pentagon sources say Turkey has assured the United States it will have access to air bases and port facilities, and in return the United States promised to provide military and economic aid in addition to supporting Turkey's bid to join the European Union. And the E.U. is pissed that we are pushing the issue. The United States has also reaffirmed it will not allow the Iraq Kurds to establish an independent country bordering Turkey, which has been the U.S. policy all along. We'll have to see if the Kurds will play along. Pentagon officials have told CNN that Turkey has expressed concern about the number of ground troops the United States might want based in Turkey, citing public sentiment against a large troop presence, and assured the new Turkish government the United States would work with it on the size of any deployment. Don't worry, they won't be there long. We've got a hot date waiting in Baghdad. Posted by: Steve 2002-12-17 |
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