The Peshmerga have been sending weapons into Turkey as of late, while Iran has been forging ties with both sides of the conflict. Officially, Iran has been much more visible in Turkey signing agreements with the government. Unofficially, the Iranians have been a major supplier to the al Qaida network that exists in Turkey - a network formed during the Bosnian war and maintained to send troops and supplies to Chechnya.
This could end up being a real mess. Basically, the continuing legacy of the Clinton administration's decisions in the area are once again coming home to roost - and are putting our forces in harm's way unneccessarily.
Following Turkey's refusal to allow us to use their frontier with Iraq during the initiation of the war, I can't see us doing anything to help them. Quite to the contrary, the Peshmerga have been extremely faithful allies in the Iraq war and we should stand behind them against Turkey. Allies come and go, and it looks like since Turkey is going to join the EU, we may yet be at war with an EU member in the near future.
Interesting times, indeed.
It sounds like an extortion attempt for more US $....Turkey would have too much to lose if they tried this.....we also still have an Air Force base still there.
PING Cause I'm curious as to your take on this...
Turkey simply wants to expand the borders of Turkish Occupied Kurdistan (TOK) and make sure the Kurds never are able to unite and do what the Palestinians are trying to do, create their own nation.
But they won't move on this one if they're smart. They had a window of opportunity to help and it's now shut. Turkish troops killing American troops, and that would be inevitable, would be a foreign policy disaster. But their new government has not displayed a particularly sound grasp of geopolitics to date, so anything's possible.
Well, this should prove interesting . . . and will complicate the h*ll out of the whole situation in Turkey. I agree with the poster's analysis that the Kurds have proven to be loyal fighters for America and we will have little choice but join them in fighting the Turks if they insist on taking this action.
(Sarcastic, rhetorical) Question: Has Ankara gotten Kofi Annan's official okey-dokey for this invasion? Has the UNSC sat around their rock lobster and bottles of water in an impoverished, drought-stricken African nation scratching their heads for months proclaiming "What to do? What to do?"
This is beyond madness. We have bailed Turkey out to the tune of BILLIONS of U.S.$ already- their economy was about to bottom out. Their decision not to let us come through the north into Iraq puts them in a they-owe-us position.
I don't believe it.
There's an old English saying, "Big boast, small roast."
Under international law, we are required to defend the territorial integrity of Iraq.
This move would be extremely bad for the Turks.
One word - MOAB.
Let's review the bidding: Iranian & Syrian Kurds are running ops across the Turkish border, so the Turkish General Staff proposes to do what in response? Invade Kurdish areas of Iraq? Hey, now there's some logic for ya!
Turkey's gonna get messed up real bad if they decide to move forward with this plan. It would create a mess for us, The USA, but we will deal with it. Turkey will be defeated if she chooses to fight, if at all. Turkey would be a target rich environment. Turkey would be insane to do this, but then again, they are already muslim, are they radical too? We'll see.
I call BS. Someone call the EU.
Ahem.....
The Turks stick one toe into Iraqi without permission and it'll be blown off.
I thought of the Turks as friends, until they stabbed us in the back on the Iraq war.
After what they did to us then, I really don't mind paying some of it back.
Is Turkey a nuclear power?
They won't be for long. Can you say Lake Ararat? [I know..I'm dreaming..]
We need to tell Turkey "Invade and you will be at war with the US"