Turkey’s shift from ally to enemy became evident at the time Bush ordered the invasion of Iraq.
Not only did the Generals refuse to allow the Airborn Division to attack Saddam’s northern front through Turkey, they deliberately obfuscated and delayed, so this entire division, which had been counted on for the invasion, was still off the coast of Turkey when the invasion took place. And it took days to ship them around and into Iraq from the South.
That prolongued the war, and it allowed Saddam’s army in the north to disperse when military defeat was obvious, throw away their uniforms, and then cause months of trouble afterward as irregulars. In other words, the Turks didn’t just refuse us passage, they did their utmost to undermine and sabotage the invasion of Iraq.
Up till then, the Generals had followed the secular principles of Kemel Attaturk. But their actions then showed that they had thrown their hand over to the Islamists. And that’s basically been the case ever since, although they have sometimes tried to conceal it. Very unfortunate.
Taking a cue from this White House and its nonstop parade of cringing weakness, the Turks no longer have any such qualms.
ping
NO cheers, unfortunately.
That action by the Turks cost a lot of American lives (as well as other coalition forces).