Turkey Claims Right To Enter Iraq

Turkey said it has the right to stage a cross-border offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq. They say Iraq is barely able to control its own cities so the Turks might have to take care of the "terror groups" in Iraq themselves.


Members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq


If they do launch a cross-border offensive, what will the consequences be? This could easily get out of hand.

Hey people, I think you missed this one. Do you understand how serious this is?

Here for those of you who can speak german:
Der Spiegel: Erdogan droht mit Einmarsch in den Irak

Die Welt: Erdogan

Originally posted by Hellmutt
Hey people, I think you missed this one. Do you understand how serious this is?

Here for those of you who can speak german:
Der Spiegel: Erdogan droht mit Einmarsch in den Irak

Die Welt: Erdogan

Unfortunately, the powers-that-be haven't commented on it yet, so no one knows what to think and say yet.

It can get a little crazy, but the fact that Iraq is completely out of hand isn't really new. Heck, maybe the US wants Turkey to help in Iraq by taking on Kurds. Turkey didn't even allow US forces to go through it during invasion, now they're going to enter the fray?

This is bad, very very bad.

An offensive, indepenant of the coalition will lead to confusion, and may even lead to other countries getting involved to protect their interests.

Who will Turkey answer too? Will their mistakes get pinned on the U.S.?

Guarantee you this, Turkey will lose more than it will gain.

Originally posted by Hellmutt
Do you understand how serious this is?

How serious is it, exactly, Hellmutt, when you article openly states that Turkey and the Kurds have been going at it since 1984?

If one really wants to consider an announcement from Turkey as being quite "serious," try this one given to Syria:
Turkey asks syria to stop rebel infiltration into Iraq

ANKARA — Turkey on Friday warned Syria it would face mounting international pressure unless it took steps to enact ”more serious” measures to prevent foreign militants from entering Iraq, a top Turkish diplomat said.


The message was conveyed to Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, who met Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul here as part of diplomatic efforts by Damascus to convince the international community that it is working in earnest to prevent the infiltrations.

“We told him (Muallem) that they should do their best and that otherwise they would be in trouble since they have no credibility in the West,” the diplomat told AFP.

“Turkey also expects Syria to take more serious measures,” he added.

Btw, as to your article and mention, here is the US response:
U.S. cautions Turkey not to pursue Kurds







seekerof

Originally posted by Seekerof
How serious is it, exactly, Hellmutt, when you article openly states that Turkey and the Kurds have been going at it since 1984?

Btw, as to your article and mention, here is the US response:
U.S. cautions Turkey not to pursue Kurds

Yup, exactly. That is why they are so eager to attack them now. Before the Americans went into Iraq they would not dare to attack the Kurds there. They have been fighting the Kurds in Turkey instead. Now they will do whatever it takes to prevent the Kurds from getting their own Kurdish state in northern Iraq.

That was not the US respons to this, btw. This was the Turks respons to the warning from the US. It´s the other way around. US cautioned Turkey not to pursue the Kurds in Iraq and then the Turks claimed that they have every right to do so. And they seem determined to do it...

And in their determination, have the Turks done so, yet?
Thank you.



seekerof

Originally posted by Seekerof
And in their determination, have the Turks done so, yet?

Not yet apparently. I guess we will find out eventually.

U.S. cautions Turkey not to pursue Kurds

18/07/2005

The Bush administration cautioned Turkey against pursuing Kurdish militants across the border into Iraq, saying it would be a difficult operation that could have ``unintended consequences.’’

"We share the view that the PKK is a terrorist organization," Fried said. "There is no place in Iraq for the PKK."

I guess the question is: will the US attack the PKK?

Turkey wants to be a part of the World. They would do anything to join trade and economy with Europe. They really want to become a member of the E.U... So if E.U tells them do not go into Iraq, then they won't. Perhaps Turkey is just using this as a bargaining chip to show the west that Turkey is on their side.

Turkey is a very powerful nation, we would love to have Turkey on our side. If however we turn them away from us, they then would become a Very Powerful Enemy, The likes of Iran.

This could be a good thing, personally I would love for Turkey to help us out in Iraq, by "taking out" radical kurds that wish to wage war. I know that the Kurds aren't our enemies...but if the Kurds are bringing the fight to the Turkish people...then Turkey has the right to defend itself.


And we should not defend the Kurds for their actions against Turkey.


The Western Syrian Border is the biggest problem in Iraq, and our resources are spread to thin to cover that area to stop more radicals from joining the fight. With Turkey stabilizing the areas in the North, we would be able to do so.


Turkey is a muslim nation, but they are also a Western Civilization.

Originally posted by Hellmutt
Yup, exactly. That is why they are so eager to attack them now. Before the Americans went into Iraq they would not dare to attack the Kurds there.

I believe Turkey has invaded northern Iraq more than once prior to the occupation of Iraq, this is from the comments on the May 1997 invasion.

20 May 1997. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan today condemned the Turkish military offensive and called for international pressure on Turkey to withdraw its troops. "Iraqi territorial integrity has to be respected," he told reporters in Vienna, Austria. This is the fourth straight spring that Turkey has sent troops into Iraq to attack the Kurdish rebels.
(emphasis added)
(link)

Originally posted by Where2Hide2006
Turkey wants to be a part of the World. They would do anything to join trade and economy with Europe. They really want to become a member of the E.U... So if E.U tells them do not go into Iraq, then they won't. Perhaps Turkey is just using this as a bargaining chip to show the west that Turkey is on their side.

Riding the ‘proverbial’ fence until the very last minute and then pulling the carpet from underneath the coalition forces feet immediately prior to the invasion of Iraq was not a good start. Massing troops for another incursion is a bad finish.



.

Originally posted by cjf
I believe Turkey has invaded northern Iraq more than once prior to the occupation of Iraq

That´s right, they did. I forgot about that. Thanks.

This is really nothing new. This has been Turkey's stance all along, and they have said so before. The last thing we need, however, is a problem in the North with the Kurds. It seems the Kurds are the only ones able to control their portion of the country and their citizens. We would need to drastically increase the number of our troops in order to handle any large military effort in the Kurdish areas.

Turkey is again warning about invading Iraq. The Turkish Prime Minister repeated his warning in an interview with a British newspaper yesterday. Apparently the only thing that will prevent them from doing it, is US forces taking out the PKK.

I don't think this is serious, or bad. Turkey has done it before and will undoubtedly do it again.

I'd say that this is pretty serious, but that they're not going to cross because the US has just enough influence to prevent that. The Turks already have troops in iraq keep in mind. So short of a major invasion, they should, in theory, be able to mount a response and pre-empt any terrorism comming out of the kurd population. Hell, they can probably act as intelligence for the US and then the US woudl strike.

But yea, a Turk invasion of northern Iraq would be a catastrophe. The Kurds are an iranian people who spread into iraq and turkey. That means that kurds in iran, iraq, and turkey will start agitating. And if the Turks publically defy the US and the Iraqi Council, then once the kurds knock out the turks (they'd be doomed, the US would aid the kurds one way or another if the turks crossed them), there'd be a real agitation for more kurd authonomy in turkey, along with more independence in the north and more distance from the arabs and natives in iraq (who presumably wouldnt' participate in teh defense). Anything that leads torwards a path of an indepenent Kurdistan is a big for regional stability (certainly in the short term anyway).

I wonder if this might be the start signal for Turkey to enter Iraq? A bomb exploded today in the town of Semdinli in Hakkari province, which borders both Iran and Iraq, killing five Turkish soldiers. They blame this bomb on the PKK.