Iraq's council of ministers says the Turkish military is violating Iraqi sovereignty by conducting the incursion into Kurdish areas of northern Iraq. Ali al-Dabbagh, the spokesman for the Iraqi government, says the government rejects the unilateral Turkish incursion because it is a threat to their good neighborly relations. The Turkish military crossed into Iraq to chase out Kurdish rebels from the Kurdistan Worker's Party. The rebels want autonomy for Kurds in Turkey and have used bases inside Iraq to launch attacks on Turkish forces. Al-Dabbagh acknowledged the threat posed to Turkey by the rebels and said the government stands ready for dialogue.
| "Dialogue" hasn't to date dislodged the PKK from their bases, nor has it stopped them from swarming into Turkey and killing people. For that matter, it doesn't seem to have dented their financing, and maintaining a military force takes a good deal of money. The Turks have been waiting to see results for the past five years. I don't blame them for taking matters into their own handfs. |