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| Iraq |
| Turkey bombs northern Iraq |
| 2007-12-17 |
| Turkish warplanes targeting Kurdish rebels bombed northern Iraq on Sunday, killing one woman and forcing hundreds to flee, local officials said. The Turkish military said it had attacked targets of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) with the approval of U.S. occupying forces in Iraq. The United States said only that it had been informed in advance of the operation. Turkish ground forces also shelled areas where the rebels were based, an army statement said. Turkey's NTV television said 50 aircraft had taken part in the three-hour operation. The Turkish army has up to 100,000 troops near the Iraqi border, threatening a major operation that Washington fears could destabilise one of the most peaceful areas of Iraq. It was given authorisation by the cabinet last month to conduct cross-border operations against the PKK, which uses northern Iraq as a base for attacks inside Turkey. "In opening Iraqi airspace to this action last night America gave its approval to the action," the head of Turkey's General Staff, General Yasar Buyukanit, was quoted by the Anatolian state news agency as saying. A U.S. embassy official said: "We have not approved any decision, it is not for us to approve. However, we were informed before the event." Pro-separatist Roj TV, quoting PKK sources, said five PKK guerrillas were killed in the overnight bombardment. The death of the woman was the first reported civilian fatality since Turkey stepped up shelling and air strikes on suspected PKK bases in the Qandil mountains in October. Abdullah Ibrahim, the mayor of Sankasar town north of the Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya, said 200 families had fled their homes in villages in the Sankasar and Jarawa administrative areas and at least 10 houses had been destroyed. Buyukanit denied any civilian targets were hit. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said his government was determined to use every kind of instrument in the fight against terrorism -- diplomatic, political and military. "We will continue to wage this battle for our nation's unity and peace, both inside and outside Turkey," he said. The air strikes were launched at 2 a.m. (2300 GMT) and continued for several hours, the mayors of Jarawa and Sankasar said. The villages targeted are about 100 km (60 miles) south of the Turkish border. The mayors said one woman was killed and at least two people wounded. Fouad Hussein, head of the Kurdistan president's office, confirmed the death and condemned the attack as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hajj Humoud summoned the Turkish ambassador and demanded an end to strikes which "may affect the friendly relations between the two governments and peoples," the foreign ministry said. It also said one woman was killed, four civilians wounded and many families displaced. Turkey said its operations solely targetted the PKK. "I can categorically state that not a single civilian target, not a single village was hit. Previously identified PKK camps were hit. There is no question of any accident," Anatolian news agency quoted Buyukanit as saying. The United States, Turkey's NATO ally, has begun sharing intelligence with the Turks about PKK movements inside Iraq. Washington wants to avert a large-scale Turkish ground offensive. Analysts say a major Turkish land incursion is very unlikely right now, since many Kurdish rebels have moved into Iran and weather conditions in northern Iraq are worsening. Ankara blames the PKK, which seeks a separate Kurdish homeland in southeastern Turkey, for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people since it began its armed struggle in 1984. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #7 Did they learn NOTHING when the Erdogan stabbed us in the back at the begininng of the Iraqi war. You should really thank the US State Department for that. Someone in State leaked the details of the US-Turkey negotiations to let the 4th ID though and managed to tie an unrelated aid grant as a condition to the talks. The Turks got angry and embarrassed, and refused to deal. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2007-12-17 21:26 |
| #6 100,000 isn't all that much when you consider Turkey has 600,000 in the military. Raiding PKK hideouts is one thing (red on red as far as I am concerned anymore). It is an entirely another matter to invade Iraq with and 200,000 Iraqi and 160,000 American troops plus a few hundred thousand Peshmerga, all of them not all that happy with the Turks. |
| Posted by: ed 2007-12-17 14:46 |
| #5 Someone with stones needs to tell Erdrogan that if Turkey invades Iraq, Ankara disappears in radioactive fog. That's the only way to play in the Middle East. I'm currently re-reading Leon Uris' "The Haj". This is a MUST READ for anyone who wants to understand the Muddled East. Uris has it right, and the book is a major eye-opener to anyone who is unfamiliar with the Arab culture. It also puts the British Foreign Office of the 1920's through about 1945 in a VERY bad light - deservedly so. Unfortunately, we're seeing the same pattern beginning to repeat. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-12-17 14:00 |
| #4 There is a fine line between Chimp and Chump. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2007-12-17 11:22 |
| #3 True, but chimps are also known for applying rudimentary game theory to chimps who stab them in the back. The CIA, State Dept, etc. seem determined to play nice forever in the hopes the other players will reciprocate. In these circumstances, it is unnatural for an opponent to *** not *** take advantage. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-12-17 10:16 |
| #2 "They are back-stabbing opportunists " Pretty much EVERYONE is a back-stabbing opportunist - it's the human condition (though even chimps have been known to do it.) |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-12-17 07:34 |
| #1 The Turkish army has up to 100,000 troops near the Iraqi border. The United States, Turkey's NATO ally, has begun sharing intelligence with the Turks about PKK movements inside Iraq. Washington wants to avert a large-scale Turkish ground offensive. That's just plain stupid IMO. 100,000 troops? It is so obvious that they are planning a full scale invasion. They are going to need those PKK rebels when the Turks begin their invasion. I know the PKK are bad guys who deserve to die - but with 100,000 Turkish troops massing on the border, only the fools that thead the state Dept or CIA would ignore the obvious implication of 100,000 troops on the border. It's not like the Turks will be any less worse than the PKK. Come on, just because some Turks are civilized doesn't mean that this isn't goint to be a barbaric invasion. The handwriting is on the wall. Who are these people that think that the Turks are going to play ball the way we want them to? Did they learn NOTHING when the Erdogan stabbed us in the back at the begininng of the Iraqi war. HELLOOOOOOO anybody home??? The Turkish Military has had plenty of time under Erdogan to rid itself of any moderating generals and replace them with those sympathetic to Erdogan and the Islamist forces. The Turks are not our friends. They are back-stabbing opportunists and anyone who thinks otherwise is nuts. |
| Posted by: Whomong Guelph4611 2007-12-17 04:31 |