Well, not quite, but they reportedly have 100,000 troops, backed by all manner of heavy weaponry up to and including F-16′s sitting on the Turkish border with Iraq. The reason? An attack by the PKK, the Kurdish guerilla group, on an army base in southern Turkey that left 12 soldiers dead and more missing, probably being held hostage. The Turkish PM is threatening to use the massive force assembled at the border to go after PKK bases in Iraq.
According to Juan Cole the USA has turned something of a blind eye to the PKK – who are, after all, conducting attacks on a NATO ally – because the Kurds are the only reliable allies the USA actually has in Iraq.
While it’s still a big difference between putting on a show of force and actually invading, what has it come to when the most westernized Muslim country in the Middle East – one that is seeking to join the EU, no less – is posturing to invade a country under American occupation? All I can say is thank your favourite deity that Australian forces are in southern Iraq, a long way away from this particular brouhaha.
I’m not hugely read on this issue, but I somehow can’t really see the Turks going the whole hog. The PKK are a serious nuisance to them, but are they worth getting tangled up in Iraqi Kurdistan and alienating pretty much everyone but the other Kurd-bordering nations. There isn’t really anything for them unless they’re utterly convinced that that they face a massive insurrection and loss of their Kurd-majority areas.
The has to be seen in the context of the political struggles within Turkey itself between the secularlist military and the Islamist prime minister. To those doubting the Turks would actually do this, well keep two things in mind. 1) Everyone in Turkey supports this action, including the military. 2) Turkey’s military is not Saddam’s rag tag army. Their infrantry is one of the toughest and best in the world, and very big.
Asia Times has the best article (as usual) I have been able to find on the conflict
http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IJ23Ak09.html
swio, Turkey’s prime minister is not an islamist.
If Gul is an ‘Islamist’ the term just lot a whole lot of meaning.
Well, ‘scuse mon Francais – but Turkey can kiss my ass. Nice place, but Ive had it with their ‘historical denial as nationalism’ schtick. Bit of autonomy for the Kurds wont destroy you, you know – but noooo, we’ve got to pretend its not there and never happened. Like Tibet. Maybe worse, at least the Chinese can pretend and look the other way(eg Taiwan), long as you dont mention it.
Viva Kurdistan!
Turkey may be trying to stop the PKK establishing a heroin route from Afghanistan into Turkey.
Turkey have been in full-tilt denial over the Armenian genocide too, Lefty. Their refusal to acknowledge it is the main impediment to Turkey joining the EU.
Another point worth mentioning; there’s a lot of oil up for grabs around Kirkuk.
So Turkey is considering making an illegal invasion/war of another person’s country?
Evil, evil Turkey!
The most potent outcome of this brouhaha is likely to be the opportunity of the Shiite government in Iraq to extend its influence into the Kurdish-controlled regions of their country.
Maliki is likely to demand of the Americans whether or not they are prepared to accept the persistence of international terrorism in Iraq, and whether or not they are prepared to pay more than lip service to the principle of Iraqi national sovereignty.
This issue is very threatening for the US position in the region. And according to the ABC this morning the US has offered to bomb the PKK in an effort to keep both Turkey and the forces of the Baghdad government out of the region.
Now this is a very novel approach to war. Perhaps the policy could be extended by the US offering to blow up US Hummers in Baghdad, to dissuade the Shiite militias (aka the Iraqi Army) from doing it themselves.
Ironic that the US is pleading with Turkey not to make a military strike against terrorists in Northern Iraq while the US is planning exactly that for Iran
Shades of Catch 22 where Milo Minderbender the American quartermaster in his special approach to fighting the Germans contracts the German air force to bomb his own base.
I think Juan Cole has also referred to the war between two parliaments (Iraq and Turkey). If the US bombs the PKK that won’t help their overall position because of the Kurdish block in the Iraqi parliament and government.
Robert Merkel;
Watching and worried.
Joe D, you mean that Milo contracted the US air force to bomb their own base and the Germans to bomb their base. As he pointed out, it was a win-win deal for both sides because they saved fuel (Milo took part of the saving as profit).