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Iraq
Debka: Turkish / Iranian attack on Kurdish rebels in Iraq imminent
2006-09-25
A new Middle East war is in the offing. DEBKAfileÂ’s exclusive military sources in Iraq and sources in Iran reveal that Turkish and Iranian air units as well as armored, paratroop, special operations and artillery forces are poised for an imminent coordinated invasion of the northern Iraqi autonomous province of Kurdistan.

Our sources pinpoint the target of the combined Iranian-Turkish offensive as the Quandil Mountains, where some 5,000 Kurdish rebels from Turkey and Iran, members of the PKK and PJAK respectively, are holed up. Iranian and Turkish assault troops are already deployed 7-8 km deep inside Iraqi territory....

A jittery Washington foresees a Kurdish-Iranian military thrust quickly flaring into a comprehensive conflict and igniting flames that would envelop the whole of Iraqi Kurdistan as well as southern Turkey and Armenia......
Posted by:RWV

#6  go in without further ado and crush the Kurdish insurgents carrying out hit-and-run attacks in Iran in recent months.....

So does this mean that we can then go into Iran a crush the Mullahs who are carrying out hit-and-run attacks in Iraq in recent years?

You would think that Iran would not want to set that sort of precedent. But then they probably feel their allies (the MSM) would prevent any such action on our part.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2006-09-25 13:35  

#5  I think Turkey has behaved very foolishly since 2003. They should have made a deal with the US and the Kurds. They should have said Kurds move out of Kuridsh Turkey and in exchange the Turks support Kurdish conquest of any of the old Ottoman territories in Arabia (excepting Israel and perhaps Mecca and Medina).

With US airpower/troops and Turkish troops for the initial war and Kurdish troops for occupation and control it could have been doable and solved the bulk of middle-east problems in one go.

Kurds are hated by Arabs but they at least have both Shia and Sunni members so the fanatacism would not be religiously based. Kurds also tend to be more democratic and sane than their Arab neighbors.

Dividing the Ottoman Empire after WW1 was a mistake. The Turks should have called for a do-over.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2006-09-25 12:59  

#4  Some of these PKK are engaging in what most would call terrorist activity; that's probably why the US hasn't acted too upset about Turkish incursions so far. That, and the fact that our guys are kind of occupied with bigger problems down south in Baghdad etc. However if the Turks (or especially the Iranians) push too far I expect priorities might have to change.
Posted by: Glenmore   2006-09-25 09:31  

#3  Brethless anticipation
Posted by: gromgoru   2006-09-25 06:25  

#2  Turkey has already made significant military incursions into Iraqi Kurdistan. It wouldn't surprise me if they increased them using Lebanon as a justification.

OTH, Iranian forces entering Kurdistan would be a major miscalculation and would certainly result in an American response.
Posted by: phil_b   2006-09-25 04:13  

#1  I would think that the Iranian AF would not want to violate Iraqi air space currently,
Posted by: Super Hose   2006-09-25 01:06  

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