Turkey and northern Iraq : To Go Or Not To Go??

Martial Law Declared in Turkey : To Go Or Not To Go??

www.economist.com

ON JUNE 6th a premature report of a big Turkish invasion of northern Iraq rocked markets. Certainly thousands of Turkish troops, backed by tanks and artillery, have massed for a possible offensive against Kurdish PKK rebels in Iraq. Martial law has been declared in three of Turkey's Kurdish provinces. This follows rising violence against soldiers in Turkey. On June 4th seven Turkish soldiers died when Kurdish rebels raided an outpost in the province of Tunceli. In May six civilians were killed by a suspected PKK suicide-bomber in Ankara.

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Mod edit: The title has been changed to that of the original source (martial law is only in certain provinces). Please review this link about posting guidlines in this forum.

[edit on 6/7/2007 by Gools]

No ones admitting it, but many countries are lining up.. The next stage in the Iraq occupation looks like an advancement of Turkey into Kurdish Territories in North Iraq.
Surely all this movement suggests a War is imminent.

www.economist.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Seems to be hotting up in that area:

Turkey says it is establishing "temporary security zones" near its border with Iraq, where it has already deployed extra forces.

An official military statement gave the area's coordinates, corresponding to parts of Hakkari, Siirt and Sirnak provinces, in the south-east.

Turkish media say civilian flights will be banned from those areas.

Turkey has denied a report that it has sent hundreds of troops into northern Iraq to root out Kurdish rebels.

The Associated Press report, quoting Turkish security officials and an Iraqi Kurdish official, said Turkish troops had carried out a cross-border "hot pursuit" raid on Wednesday.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated on Wednesday that parliament's approval would be required for such an operation.

It certainly is!!

Will Turkey crush Kurdish plans?

By Patrick Seale, Special to Gulf News


=Turkey is dangerously close to launching a full-scale war across its eastern border into northern Iraq. The aim would be to wipe out the bases of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), destroy once and for all the party's separatist ambitions, and put an end to cross-border terrorist attacks and hit-and-run raids by the PKK, which have inflamed nationalist opinion in Turkey.

But, like any such "asymmetric" war waged by a conventional army against an elusive guerrilla enemy, a decisive Turkish victory is by no means assured. Far from quelling Kurdish separatism in Iraq, the war might provoke instability in Turkey itself, home to some 15 million ethnic Kurds. Turkey fought a bitter war against the PKK from 1984 to 1999 which resulted in 35,000 dead and the displacement of some 2 million.

link
www.gulfnews.com...

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[edit on 6/7/2007 by Gools]

Turkey’s previous military buildups on the Iraqi border were mostly viewed as saber rattling, but analysts see something different and more worrisome this time. As PKK attacks against security forces inside Turkey continue unabated, the military leadership in Ankara has in recent weeks forcefully stated its desire to go after the guerilla group’s operational bases in Iraq. Meanwhile, a May 22 suicide bombing in Ankara -- in which six people died and that has been linked to the PKK -- has turned public opinion in favor of an Iraq invasion.

Domestic political considerations are also having an impact. With Turkey’s July 22 parliamentary elections fast approaching, the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) -- already under pressure from the military for being seen as overly Islamist -- does not want to appear as being soft on terrorism and national security issues
link
www.eurasianet.org...

The threat is very different this time... this could cause Civil war in Turkey and threaten their relationships with present Allies.. Maybe this is finally Turkey picking its side??


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[edit on 6/7/2007 by Gools]

Norwegian media reports that three Turkish soldiers have been killed and six hurt, by a bomb near the Iraqi border.