Turkish
Troops Chase
Kurd Guerrilla Into Iraq
By Patrick Cockburn
09 June, 2007
The Independent
Several
thousand Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq in pursuit of Kurdish
guerrillas early Wednesday. The incursion, though limited in scope,
gives the crisis in Iraq a new twist.
"It is not a major offensive
and the number of troops is not in the tens of thousands," said
an official in south-east Turkey where there has recently been an upsurge
in activity by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) Turkish Kurd guerrillas.
Nevertheless, the US will
be worried that its entanglement in Iraq is about to become even more
complicated if American troops and aircraft are asked to counter even
a limited Turkish assault.
The US military said it could
not confirm the reports but was "very concerned". Turkey has
been threatening an attack into Iraqi Kurdistan in recent weeks and,
last weekend, Robert Gates, the US Defense Secretary, warned Ankara
against a foray into northern Iraq.
The PKK have several base
areas in Iraqi Kurdistan, including the rugged Kandil mountains on the
Iranian border, a natural fortress providing ideal terrain for guerrillas.
Even if the Turks did send a large military force into northern Iraq,
as it did last in 1997, it would be difficult to locate, still less
destroy, the PKK.
The scale of PKK activity
in Kurdish-populated areas of south-eastern Turkey is still limited
but the Turkish army and moderate Islamic government have threatened
retaliation. Both have a motive for demonstrating their patriotic credentials
in the approach to parliamentary elections this summer.
In a sign of the limited
communication between the Turkish government and military, the Foreign
Minister, Abdullah Gul, denied that a cross-border operation had taken
place. "There is no such thing, no entry to another country,"
Mr Gul said. "If such a thing happens we would announce it."
The Iraqi government was
also eager to play down reports of an attack, despite statements by
Turkish military officials. Iraq's Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari,
said there had been "no major operations" by Turkey though
there had been a build-up of Turkish troops.
Turkey also has an incentive
to put pressure on the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan regional government
because a referendum is to be held on the future of the oil province
of Kirkuk before the end of this year.
Patrick Cockburn
is the author of 'The Occupation: War, resistance and daily life in
Iraq', a finalist for the National Book Critics' Circle Award for best
non-fiction book of 2006
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