.Turkey 'drawing up plans for northern Iraq incursion'
Ankara - The Turkish General Staff, which commands the Turkish armed forces, has drawn up plans for sending up to 50,000 troops into northern Iraq to 'destroy bases used by guerillas from the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK),' CNN Turk reported Wednesday.
The plans range from short-term operations for airstrikes on PKK bases in the Kandil mountain area of northern Iraq, to a long-term occupation involving 50,000 troops which would march up to 60 kilometres inside northern Iraq, CNN Turk reported.
The report comes as Turkish leaders have stepped up their anti-PKK rhetoric in the past week threatening to take unilateral action against the Kurdish rebels.
In the past week, 15 Turkish soldiers have been killed in clashes with PKK rebels inside Turkey and government leaders have been under domestic pressure to display a show of strength against the PKK.
No conditions have been stated as to what would lead the government to order an incursion into northern Iraq. The government refuses to negotiate with the PKK.
The Turkish military believe that there are around 5,000 PKK guerillas based in northern Iraq from where they cross into Turkey to launch attacks.
US Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson has in the past two days cautioned Turkey not to take any unilateral steps in northern Iraq and has instead called for cooperation in ridding northern Iraq of the PKK.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, has rejected such statements saying Turkey has the right to protect itself. 'Any decision on this will be made by the Turkish Parliament,' Erdogan said on Tuesday.
Both Turkey and the US list the PKK as a terrorist organization.
Turkey has been angry at the repeated failure of the US to use its military in Iraq to destroy the PKK, a promise made in the run-up to the Iraq War.
While expressing sympathy for the Turkish position, the US government has said it does not at the moment have the power to take action against the rebels.
M&C
Well this is an escalation into the only quiet part of Iraq. Great, couldn't come at a better time.
The plans range from short-term operations for airstrikes on PKK bases in the Kandil mountain area of northern Iraq, to a long-term occupation involving 50,000 troops which would march up to 60 kilometres inside northern Iraq, CNN Turk reported.
The report comes as Turkish leaders have stepped up their anti-PKK rhetoric in the past week threatening to take unilateral action against the Kurdish rebels.
In the past week, 15 Turkish soldiers have been killed in clashes with PKK rebels inside Turkey and government leaders have been under domestic pressure to display a show of strength against the PKK.
No conditions have been stated as to what would lead the government to order an incursion into northern Iraq. The government refuses to negotiate with the PKK.
The Turkish military believe that there are around 5,000 PKK guerillas based in northern Iraq from where they cross into Turkey to launch attacks.
US Ambassador to Turkey Ross Wilson has in the past two days cautioned Turkey not to take any unilateral steps in northern Iraq and has instead called for cooperation in ridding northern Iraq of the PKK.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, however, has rejected such statements saying Turkey has the right to protect itself. 'Any decision on this will be made by the Turkish Parliament,' Erdogan said on Tuesday.
Both Turkey and the US list the PKK as a terrorist organization.
Turkey has been angry at the repeated failure of the US to use its military in Iraq to destroy the PKK, a promise made in the run-up to the Iraq War.
While expressing sympathy for the Turkish position, the US government has said it does not at the moment have the power to take action against the rebels.
M&C
Well this is an escalation into the only quiet part of Iraq. Great, couldn't come at a better time.
posted by madtom at 1:42 AM
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