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| Iraq |
| Iraqis and Kurds say Turkish incursion will not be tolerated |
| 2007-10-10 |
| Baghdad - Iraq will not allow Turkish troops inside its territories, Kurdish officials and Iraqi government spokesman Ali al- Dabagh said following Ankara's caveat of an incursion into northern Iraq following an ambush on its soldiers. 'Turkey should respect Iraq's sovereignty,' al-Dabagh told Arab broadcasters on Wednesday. A Kurdish military official said that Iraqi and Kurdish forces would rebuff any attempts at an incursion into Iraqi territories. A day earlier, Turkey had indicated that it might launch cross- border raids to destroy rebel Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) camps in mountainous northern Iraq, following the killing of 13 Turkish commandos and two soldiers in Turkey by members of the PKK. 'The necessary orders and regulations have been given to take whatever economic, legal and political measures - including (the possibility) of cross-border operations - needed in order to continue the fight against terror and terrorists,' read a statement released after a meeting of the Turkish anti-terrorism High Board, which includes ministers, military generals and intelligence officers. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised that Turkey's 'fight against terrorism will take a very different form.' According to Turkish observers, the increase in Turkish casualties in recent weeks has increased pressure on the government to act. Efforts to legitimize the incursions did not go as planned. On October 27, Baghdad and Ankara had sealed a security agreement where Iraq committed to cooperating with Turkish authorities in hunting down PKK rebels in the north. It was hoped that occasional incursions would be an official part of the deal. However even as the details were not disclosed, reports said that the Iraqi side had agreed to cooperate but refused to grant an absolute right to Turkish troops to cross the border in hot pursuit of Kurdish rebels. Both the Kurds and the United States have voiced concerns that a Turkish operation into northern Iraq would upset Iraqi Kurdish groups and may destabilize the region, a part of Iraq that is relatively free of violence. More than 32,000 people have been killed since the early 1980s when the PKK launched its fight for independence or autonomy for the mainly Kurdish-populated south-east. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by both the US and the European Union. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani had called on the PKK fighters to either leave the Kurdish lands, or denounce violence and lay down their arms. |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #2 I wonder how much of these "incursions" are part of the Iranian plan to destabilize Iraq so they can take over. I also wonder if the hand of Iran isn't behind some of these attacks blamed on the PKK. I don't trust Iran to keep its hands to itself for 10 microseconds. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-10-10 17:55 |
| #1 What about Iranian incursions/shelling? |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-10-10 12:06 |