Trouble Between Turkey and Iraq?
As if there weren't enough chaos in the Middle East, tensions are rising between Turkey and Iraq. The PKK, a Kurdish terrorist group operating out of northern Iraq, is using Iraq as a base to attack Turkey. Daveed Gartenstein-Ross at the Counterterrorism Blog says that:the Turkish government recently summoned both the U.S. and Iraqi ambassadors to warn that Turkish patience with continued PKK presence in Iraq was wearing thin.
Turkey said that if the U.S. and Iraq do not take "necessary steps," Turkey
could launch a "cross-border operation." Turkey has suggested that if it's
unsatisfied with the steps that the U.S. and Iraq take, it could launch this
operation unilaterally: "Our patience is not endless. Root out Kurdistan Workers
Party (PKK) guerillas immediately, otherwise, we will be forced to resort to our
right of self-defense.
The flashpoint?
an incident last week in which fifteen soldiers, police and guards were killed
by PKK guerillas in a clash in Southeast Turkey. This is just the last in a long
string of incidents that has occurred over the last couple of years, but the
death of these fifteen was particularly disturbing to the Turks. It has been the
lead item in Turkish newscasts.
The danger?
There are two potential dangers to Turkish intervention in Iraq. The first is
that Turkish units may end up clashing with American-backed Kurdish units (i.e.
units in the Kurdish areas that aren't affiliated with the PKK). The second
danger is that a Turkish unit may accidentally engage Americans in a firefight.
What an absolute mess. One senses, though, that the Turks have a valid point. Unfortunately, we are in the middle of fighting a proxy war with Syria and Iran in Iraq right now, and stirring up a hornets' nest in the peaceful Kurdish north is not high on our priority list.
posted by JM @ 4:18 PM
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