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| Europe |
| Turkish Chief of Staff eyes eradication of PKK rebels "real soon now" |
| 2009-04-15 |
| urkey's Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug said Tuesday he believes that the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) could be eradicated through effective security coordination between his country, Iraq and the United States. Addressing the Turkish War Colleges Command, Basbug said the tripartite military measures enacted in north Iraq recently would bear fruit soon. He was apparently referring to the launching, three month ago, of a center for intelligence coordination in Irbil, north Iraq, where 3,500 of PKK separatists are believed to be based. Basbug did not accuse Iraqi Kurds of harboring the PKK rebels and providing them with safe havens which signals a clear shift in the Turkish stance towards Iraqi Kurds. Thanks to the growing coordination among the three countries, north Iraq is no longer a safe haven for the PKK rebels, he affirmed. The Turkish military was able to deal strong blows to the PKK bases in the region over the last one and half years using its air force and ground force, he pointed out. Due to these attacks the PPK lost its ability to act as a major militant group against Turkey, he said, noting that the attacks launched against Turkey from north Iraq have declined sharply, Gen. Basbug underscored. The military leader affirmed determination to pursue the campaign against the PKK separatists deeming the victory in this conflict key to comprehensive development in southern Turkey. Since October 24, 2007 units of the Turkish army crossed the Iraqi border in a special operation against PPK militants. Turkish military backed by helicopters chased the militants, while F-16 Falcon fighters and artillery dealt strikes at militant bases about 50 kilometers (30 miles) deep into Iraqi territory. |
| Posted by:Seafarious |
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| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2009-04-15 18:51 |