Earlier this month Turkey deployed an additional 40,000 troops in the southeast. "the Kurdistan Workers Party is trying to send half of its 4,900 militants (based) in northern Iraq here and preparing for attacks in Turkey’s cities." This is in addition to the 220,000 to 250,000 troops it already has there.
See also;
KURDISH INTIFADA?
Clashes in Southeastern Turkey on the Rise
Violence is on the rise in southeastern Turkey as the Kurdistan Worker's Party increases its guerilla activity. The government in Ankara is worried about a Kurdish intifada.
Rice offers modest aid to Turkey
By Anne Gearan
Associated Press
ANKARA, Turkey - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledged only modest U.S. help yesterday as Turkey tries to counter a threat from Kurdish rebels using bases across its border with Iraq. She asked for patience with the new Iraqi government.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) had free run of a swath of northern Iraq and had set up training camps and bases. Turkey fears that civil unrest in Iraq could lead to the fragmentation of the country and often has called on the United States to stop PKK fighters from using Iraq as a base to stage attacks inside Turkey.
"We've shared our expectation that we expect more from them," Gul said. "Especially, I have shared with Rice that the terrorist organization, benefiting from the power vacuum in northern Iraq, has started to damage Turkey again."
Rice did not dispute that, but she chose her words carefully.
"We believe that it is important that we make joint efforts, through information-sharing and other means, to prevent... any vacuum from being used as a way to inflict harm here in Turkey," Rice said after meeting with Gul in Ankara. "We need to work with the new Iraqi government, and we will do that."
She said the United States, Turkey and Iraq could revive a three-way discussion of the PKK once the Iraqi leadership selected last weekend has formed a new, permanent government.
The United States wants Turkey to hold back from crossing the Iraq border to pursue rebels.
Rice met large and sometimes violent protests against the war in Iraq and U.S. foreign policy during diplomatic visits yesterday to Greece and Turkey
Readers with good memories will recall that Turkey refused to allow its territory to be used to invade Iraq. There seems to be absolutely no level of incompetence below which the Bush administration cannot sink.
See also Juan Cole today.
and:
Turkey Masses Troops on Iraqi Border by Aaron Glantz (antiwar.com)
and:
Susan at News About Iraq has links to several stories here and accurately characterises this administration as delusional.
markfromireland |
