Turkey Strikes PKK Camps in Iraq
Reuters reports that Turkey has launched military strikes against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps in Iraq. The brief incursion involved airstrikes and ground troops. Thirty-four Kurdish rebels are believed killed with no Turkish casualties. The military action comes as Turkey threatens a major incursion into Northern Iraq following the adoption of a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide in the U.S., and the deaths of 12 soldiers near the border on Sunday.
Turkish warplanes and troops have attacked Kurdish rebels inside Iraq and forces were being built up on the border, but Ankara was holding back from any major strike for now, military sources said on Wednesday.
News of the sorties, between Sunday and Tuesday evening in which Turkish warplanes flew 20 km (13 miles) into Iraq and some 300 ground troops advanced about 10 km, put Baghdad under greater pressure to act against PKK rebels operating from the north of its territory.
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Turkey, which has NATO’s second biggest army, has deployed as many as 100,000 troops, backed by tanks, F-16 fighter jets and helicopter gunships, along the mountainous border in preparation for a possible large-scale strike.
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“Further ‘hot pursuit’ raids into northern Iraq can be expected, though none have taken place so far today (Wednesday),” a military official said.
Well I sure hope that peshmerga and PKK teaches Turks a lesson. Kurds have been receiving training from Israelis and US, as well as latest anti tank and anti air portable missile launchers.
Though given the history of PKK, they are not good fighters so chances are high they’ll have big casualties. Let’s see if this time it’ll be different.
Comment by dude — October 24, 2007 @ 10:43 pm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7061211.stm
Comment by Onnik — October 25, 2007 @ 1:26 pm
An A1+ article spoke of the dangerous precedent being set with Turkey not respecting the existence of a neighboring border. After all, there are Kurds in Armenia too and from what I’ve seen of them they have Ocalan sympathies. That would make them a target as well. If Turkey’s border with Iraq means nothing why should their border with Armenia mean anything?
Obviously though Iraq is such a mess while Armenia’s border is locked tight and has border guards along it make the idea Turkey would ever try attacking any sort of presumed PKK camp in Armenia (as if such a thing actually exists?) pretty unthinkable. Then again nobody thought they’d actually go into Cyprus either. Borders really don’t mean much to Turkey, do they, this nothing new.
Comment by Paul — October 25, 2007 @ 7:42 pm
Well, PKK camps and 3,000 guerillas are in Iraq whereas there are a handful of such types here. Plus, the Russians control the border although it is said not to be tight in every place. Still, the main point is that PKK in Iraq are crossing the border before retreating back.
That’s not the case in Armenia and those comments in Armenia, including from some real insignificant voices such as the Armenian Union of Aryans, are all a little stupid. Now, if Russia weren’t guarding the border, but that’s not the case. Sure, if there were 3,000 PKK guerrillas nipping over and engaging in military action before coming back, but again, that’s not the case.
It’s just Armenia considering its more significant than it actually is, in my opinion. Besides, Turkey would also first seek parliamentary approval as they did with Iraq, so if such an unlikely scenario were to come into existence, there would be some warning. Right, and like Turkey would effectively declare war on Russia as a result.
The level of thinking in Armenia from small nationalist groups never ceases to amaze me.
Comment by Onnik — October 25, 2007 @ 8:34 pm
Comment by Onnik — October 25, 2007 @ 8:40 pm