quote:

Turkish Officials: Troops Enter Iraq Jun 6 11:25 AM US/Eastern By SELCAN HACAOGLU Associated Press Writer ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Several thousand Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq early Wednesday to chase Kurdish guerrillas who operate from bases there, Turkish security officials told The Associated Press. Two senior security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the raid was limited in scope and that it did not constitute the kind of large incursion that Turkish leaders have been discussing in recent weeks. "It is not a major offensive and the number of troops is not in the tens of thousands," one of the officials told the AP by telephone. The official is based in southeast Turkey, where the military has been battling separatist Kurdish rebels since they took up arms in 1984. The officials did not say where the Turkish force was operating in northern Iraq, nor did he say how long they would be there. The officials said any confrontation with Iraqi Kurdish groups, who have warned against a Turkish incursion, could trigger a larger cross- border operation. The Turkish military has asked the government in Ankara to approve such an incursion, but the government has not given formal approval. An official at military headquarters in Ankara declined to confirm or deny the report that Turkish troops had entered Iraq. Turkish troops have occasionally launched brief raids in pursuit of guerrillas in northern Iraq, and have sometimes shelled suspected rebel positions across the border. Turkish authorities rarely acknowledge such military operations, which were more frequent before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Turkey has been building up its military forces on the Iraqi border in recent weeks, amid debate among political and military leaders about whether to attack separatist rebels of the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers' Party. The rebels stage raids in southeast Turkey after crossing over from hideouts in Iraq. During major incursions in the 1990s, fighting occurred on a front stretching more than 100 miles, mostly in rugged terrain where communications were difficult and the Turkish Kurds were already entrenched in the mountains. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Denied by Turkey tho...

http://uk.reuters.com/article/inter...070606?rpc=401&

Plus other reports from the Kurds saying they have "no evidence" to back up their claims...

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/N...nternational.na

WTF!!!

I mean out of all countries... Turkey??

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quote:

Originally posted by Purple WTF!!! I mean out of all countries... Turkey??

Yeah, like India wants to invade Iraq.

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Vernato

quote:

Originally posted by Kapedan Yeah, like India wants to invade Iraq.

I heard Madagascar was pretty pissed.

When you invade a country, you take responsibility for it's security in the aftermath of that invasion. Woohoo! Time to pull out.

Seriously though, Northern Iraq is the most stable part of Iraq. I can see a situation developing where the Kurds ask the central government for help. Then what?

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The Coalition of the Willing is growing guys!

boy oh boy things are getting better and better everyday over there!!!

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quote:

Originally posted by Purple WTF!!! I mean out of all countries... Turkey??

Erm, is that sarcasm or are you actually not sure why Turkey would invade Northern Iraq? I mean, I cant even forgive you for not knowing why before, but it actually spells it out i plain English in the articles people have posted!

I have been thinking lately (pre this whole did Turkey invade Iraqi Kurdistan or not thing) that in the not too distant future, the Kurdish portion of Iraq will inevitably split off and quite possibly become a portion of Turkey. Not by invasion, but by some form of political solution where the government in Ankara gives fairly substantial concessions and semi-autonomy to the Kurdish population.

I think, strategically, it makes more sense for Turkey to have most of "kurdistan" inside their borders than to have to deal with a fledgling independent kurdish state on their border ratcheting up the pressure for the kurds in Turkey to revolt and split off to join them.

But I could be way off base. The "traditional" borders in that region are a fucking mess anyway as most of them are just arbitrary lines on a map drawn by the British. I have come to the realization that any line that the British have drawn on a map historically usually takes nothing of reality into account.


MrS

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quote:

Originally posted by George Smiley Erm, is that sarcasm or are you actually not sure why Turkey would invade Northern Iraq? I mean, I cant even forgive you for not knowing why before, but it actually spells it out i plain English in the articles people have posted!

Of all the dangerous Axis of evil countries as they are made out to be like .. Iran, Syria, Jordan, Kuwait.. I think a preemptive invasion from Turkish side first was least expected.. the Kurdish problem was more about Kurds demanding an independent country for themselves rather than them posing any threat to Turkey.

I dont know how this will play out, but if Turkey invades Iraq next .. than Iran and Syria wont just sit quit and watch the drama.. everyone wants a piece of this pie.. they will be following the move soon.

A part of that post was also meant to be sarcastic.. Turkish army is full of horses and is weakest among other countries in that area like Syria, Jordan, Iran I suppose.

And Turkey is trying to be part of EU.. a move like this would seriously jeopardize their position.

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Last edited by Purple on Jun-07-2007 at 12:06