TURKS PREPARE FOR WAR IN IRAQ

Turkish leader warns that chances for war increasing, prepares legislators for vote to allow in U.S. troops

ISTANBUL, Turkey - Turkey's top politician began preparing the public for a possible war, saying Tuesday that Iraq is not "taking the necessary steps" for peace and that Turkey would lose any say in the future of Iraq if it does not join in an operation.

The dramatic shift by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has long emphasized peace in Iraq, came before an expected Friday vote in parliament that could allow the United States to base thousands of troops in Turkey for an Iraq invasion.

The Turkish public is overwhelmingly opposed to a war and Erdogan faces a battle within his own Justice and Development Party to persuade lawmakers to pass legislation that will allow in the U.S. soldiers.

"The decisions we make for war are not because we want a war, but so we can contribute to peace as soon as possible — at a point when it is not possible to prevent war," Erdogan told party lawmakers. "Our moral priority is peace, but our political priority is our dear Turkey."

"If we remain outside the equation at the beginning of the operation, it might not be possible to ... affect developments after the operation," Erdogan said. "And if that happens Turkey's long term interests and, God forbid, its security might be endangered."

His comments follow relentless U.S. pressure for Turkey to back a possible Iraq war. The head of the U.S. military and the U.S. general in charge of NATO (news - web sites) visited Turkey last month.

Washington is apparently looking to base tens of thousands of soldiers in Turkey who would open up a northern front that would divide Iraq's army between U.S. forces in Turkey and in the Gulf. U.S. and Turkish generals agree that a two-front war would be quicker but Turkey has been delaying moves to accept U.S. soldiers.

"We obviously want full Turkish cooperation and look forward to that," U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s envoy to the Iraqi opposition, Zalmay Khalilzad, told reporters after arriving in Ankara Tuesday.

Khalilzad will hold talks with leaders of the two Iraqi Kurdish factions that control northern Iraq later this week.

Prime Minister Abdullah Gul Tuesday spoke with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) to discuss the U.S. basing request, Gul's office said. It gave no details.

Turkey is terrified that a war could lead to the disintegration of Iraq, leading Kurds in the north to declare independence. That could encourage Kurds in Turkey's southeast, where Turkish soldiers and Kurdish rebels fought a 15-year guerrilla war.

Erdogan, as head of the Justice party, is considered the power behind the scenes in Turkey. For legal reasons he was not allowed to run for parliament, but he is expected to run in March by-elections and take over the prime ministry after the voting.

"We are regretful to see that the Iraqi administration, which has to take strong steps for peace, isn't taking the necessary steps," Erdogan said. "Unfortunately, we face a situation where the innocent people (of Iraq) are going to pay for their leader's blindness."

Diplomats have repeatedly criticized Gul and Erdogan for not preparing the public for what many see as inevitable Turkish support for a U.S. operation. In the past few weeks, Gul has spoken of the need for peace of the region and hosted a meeting of Iraq's neighbors that called for peace.

"It's a brilliant but a terrible U-turn, because it's too late," Ilnur Cevik, editor in chief of the Turkish Daily News, said in regard to Erdogan's comments.

"They should have prepared their own deputies and the public for this," Cevik said. "When you do it at the last moment ... you lose your credibility."

Parliament recesses next week for a weeklong Islamic holiday and diplomats say that if parliamentary approval does not come this week, U.S. war plans could be disrupted.

Turkish newspapers have quoted Gul as saying that parliament could vote this week on accepting U.S. soldiers to upgrade several Turkish bases and ports that would host the U.S. forces and vote on U.S. ground troops later.

Also Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Ministry officials met with the ambassadors of fellow NATO members France, Germany and Belgium to discuss possible NATO protection for Turkey if there is an Iraq war, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Turkish military ambulances are seen in a ferry with Istanbul's historical Galata tower in the background at Sirkeci port in istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2003. The Turkish military began moving troops in western Turkey to its border with Iraq, strengthened its security force along the rugged border area ahead of a possible U.S.-led war against Iraq. (AP Photo/Osman Orsal)

Turkish soldiers and military vehicles are seen on a ferry at Sirkeci port in Istanbul, Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2003.

A train carrying Turkish army tanks and supplies to the border with Iraq passes U.S. Air Force tanker planes, KC-135 Stratotankers, stationed at the Incirlik air base, Adana, Turkey, on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2003. (AP Photo/Durmus Ali Baskan, Anatolia)

A Turkish soldier stands guard as others set up a military tent at a tent city near the Habur border crossing on the Turkish - Iraqi border, southeastern Turkey, Tuesday Feb. 4, 2003, which was prepared by Turkish Red Crescent to house possible Iraqi Kurdish refugees. Some 500,000 Iraqi Kurds had fled to Turkey during the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites). (AP Photo/Murad Sezer)

A Turkish soldier patrols in a tent city near the Habur border crossing on the Turkish - Iraqi border, southeastern Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2003. The tents were prepared by Turkish Red Crescent to house possible Iraqi Kurdish refugees. Some 500,000 Iraqi Kurds had fled to Turkey during the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites). (AP Photo/Murad Sezer)

A Turkish soldier stands guard as the others prepare sand bags next to a tent city near the Habur border crossing on the Turkish - Iraqi border, southeastern Turkey, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2003

Turkish soldiers load sandbags on a truck in a tent city near the Habur border crossing on the Turkish - Iraqi border, Monday Feb. 3, 2003, which was prepared by Turkish Red Crescent to house possible Iraqi Kurdish refugees. Some 500,000 Iraqi Kurds fled to Turkey during the 1999 Gulf War (news - web sites). Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said he would submit a proposal to parliament this week that could open the way for U.S. troops to be stationed in Turkey for a possible war against neighboring Iraq. (AP Photo/Murad Sezer)

Turkish soldiers stand guard at a watchtower overlooking the Syrian border, some 30 kilometers away from the Turkish - Iraqi border crossing of Habur in the southeastern Turkey, Monday, Feb. 3, 2003. Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said he would submit a proposal to parliament this week that could open the way for U.S. troops to be stationed in Turkey for a possible war against neighboring Iraq. The announcement followed Friday's decision by Turkey's top generals, the president, and government leaders, including Gul, to endorse stationing foreign troops in the country. Parliament must approve any deployment. (AP Photo/Murad Sezer)

A Turkish military armored personnel carrier is transported near the Iraq border near Habur, southeastern Turkey, Monday, Feb. 3, 2003. The Turkish military has begun moving troops in western Turkey to its border with Iraq, strengthening its security force along the rugged border area ahead of a possible U.S. war against Iraq. (AP Photo)

Turkish military policemen stand guard next to military vehicles in Haydarpasa station in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2003

Turkish military policemen stand guard in Haydarpasa station in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2003, as soldiers board a train bound for the southern city of Gaziantep.

A Turkish military policeman passes by military vehicles in Haydarpasa station in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2003.

Turkish military vehicles are carried out from a ferry at Haydarpasa station in Istanbul, Turkey, Feb. 2, 2003.

A Turkish military policeman stands guard next to the military vehicles in Haydarpasa station in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday Feb. 2, 2003.

A Turkish soldier boards a train bound for the southern city of Gaziantep as his unidentified relatives look on at Haydarpasa station in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday Feb. 2 2003

A Turkish soldier guards as a train is loaded with military equipment and armoured vehicles, as part of a military deployment along Turkey's southeast frontier with Iraq, before the train departs from Haydarpasa railway station in Istanbul February 2, 2003. Turkey's foreign minister was quoted on Sunday as saying the country had asked NATO (news - web sites) to provide early warning aircraft and Patriot missile defence systems to protect Turkey in any war with Iraq. REUTERS/Fatih Saribas

Turkish soldiers guard a train loaded with military equipment and armored vehicles, as part of a military deployment along Turkey's southeast frontier with Iraq, before the train departs from Haydarpasa railway station in Istanbul, February 2, 2003

A Turkish soldier walks along the track guarding a train loaded with military equipment and armored vehicles, as part of a military deployment along Turkey's southeast frontier with Iraq, before the train departs from Haydarpasa railway station in Istanbul, February 2, 2003

Turkish military begins shipping supplies to soldiers along the Iraqi border as part of preparations for a possible military operation in Iraq, in Gocuk navy base in Izmit, Turkey, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2003

Turkish soldiers, wearing gas masks, participate in a chemical warfare drill at Incirlik air base, near the southern Turkish city of Adana, Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003. Turkish soldiers wearing gas masks scurried as loud speakers announced an imminent chemical weapons attack during exercises at Incirlik air base, a key air base used by the United States military to patrol Iraq. (AP Photo/Murad Sezer)

"If I were Saddam, I would be very, very afraid."

Actually, I think Saddam's figured out a way to take Turkey out of the war and seal off his northern border. First, check out this thread, where we learn that Saddam is clearing a 20-mile no-man's-land between the Kurdish-controlled regions and Iraq proper. Now, Saddam doesn't care about civilian casualties, so keeping US and Turkish troops from intermingling with Kurdish civilians is irrelevant to him—Iraqi troops will fire at will regardless. Clearing out a buffer zone helps us, not Saddam, because we're the army that fights under rules of engagement.

Second, see this report of Iraqi troops on the Kurdish border receiving gas masks and "injector kits." Gas masks are useless against any meaningful chemical weapons. Nobody knows what's in these "injector kits," but it probably isn't atropine—that's not worth the bother without full chemical protection gear, since it only buys you about five minutes to reach safety. So the Kurds' assumption that Saddam is planning on gassing them again doesn't really hold up.

But there's one scenario in which both reports make sense: Maybe Saddam is going to trigger a smallpox epidemic among the Kurds. A civilian-free buffer zone serves as a firebreak or quarantine, preventing any infectious civilians from migrating south and spreading disease among the Iraqi population. Gas masks are useless against nerve gas, but they work just fine to protect the troops enforcing the quarantine from airborne pathogens like smallpox. And those injector kits might contain smallpox vaccine for emergency use on select Iraqi civilians—smallpox vaccine can actually work even when administered after exposure. Heck, those injector kits might contain live smallpox to use on civilians as they evict them.

A smallpox outbreak among the Kurds would secure Saddam's northern flank. First, it would cripple logistics in the Kurdish regions, where we're planning on putting forward air bases. Second, it would generate a massive refugee movement northward, throwing what roads there are into complete chaos. And third, it would quickly spread into Turkey, with all the obvious effects on the Turkish military and civilians.

And there's basically no downside for Saddam at all in this. The Kurdish border, running along the northern "no-fly zone" line, is already militarized, so the quarantine will be easy to establish. He can spread smallpox among civilians quite stealthily, using martyrs, unwitting dupes or released prisoners. Without the "smoking gun" of a biological warhead or a crop-duster overflight, the US would have a hard time making the case for nuking Baghdad, so Saddam has every reason to think he can get away with it. And unlike a "conventional" biological or chemical weapon attack, which must be executed by front-line commanders unwilling to risk our likely response, this would be carried out by his personal guard and/or the Mukhabarat, who are more loyal and less afraid of retaliation.

In short, it seems to me that if Saddam doesn't do this, it's because he just plain doesn't have any smallpox.

bttt

UPDATE

Turkish men watch a live broadcast of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell (news - web sites) addressing the U.N. Security Council in New York at an electronics shop in Istanbul, Turkey, Wednesday Feb. 5, 2003. Powell, methodically making his case that Iraq has defied all demands that it disarm, presented tape recordings, satellite photos and informants' statements Wednesday that he said constituted ``irrefutable and undeniable'' evidence that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) is concealing weapons of mass destruction. (AP Photo/Osman Orsal)

A Turkish soldier stands guard at the entrance of a tent city near the Habur border crossing on the Turkish-Iraqi border, southeastern Turkey, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2003. Turkish relief workers were finishing building a refugee camp, part of Turkey's preparations for the possible influx of thousands of refugees fleeing a war in Iraq. (AP Photo/Murad Sezer)

A military convoy heads for the border of Iraq as Turkey continues to move troops and military equipment, in Adana on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2003. Turkey's parliament on Thursday was expected to authorize the United States to begin renovating Turkish military bases, but could hold off for more than a week on whether to allow U.S. combat troops to enter the country for a possible attack on neighboring Iraq. (AP Photo/Durmus Ali Baskan, Anatolia)

Turkish soldiers in an M-113 armored personnel carrier stand guard next to a tent city near the Habur border crossing on the Turkish - Iraqi border, southeastern Turkey, Wednesday Feb. 5, 2003. Turkish relief workers worked to finish building a mock refugee camp, part of Turkey's preparations for the possible influx of thousands of refugees fleeing a war in Iraq. The camp, just two kilometers (miles) inside the Turkish border, is being used as a training site for Turkish relief workers who could be dispatched into Iraq to set up as many as 12 camps. (AP Photo/Murad Sezer)

A refugee camp, with the mountains of northern Iraq in the background, is seen near the Habur border crossing on the Turkish-Iraqi border, Wednesday Feb. 5, 2003. Turkish relief workers worked to finish building a mock refugee camp, part of Turkey's preparations for the possible influx of thousands of refugees fleeing a war in Iraq. (AP Photo)

Turkish Army's M-113 armored personnel carriers drive on the road between the Habur border crossing and the southeastern town of Silopi, near the Turkish-Iraqi border, Wednesday Feb. 5, 2003. Turkey's parliament will vote Thursday on authorizing the United States to renovate Turkish military bases, but will hold off for more than a week on whether to allow U.S. combat troops to enter the country for a possible attack on neighboring Iraq. (AP Photo)

Turkish troops man an armored personnel carrier equipped with an anti-aircraft battery, outside a tent city near Silopi on Turkey's southeast frontier with Iraq, February 5, 2003. The tent city was built by Turkish officials to deal with a possible exodus of refugees in the event of a U.S.-led war on Iraq. Prime Minister Abdullah Gul was quoted as saying on Wednesday Turkey would support its ally the United States when parliament votes later this month on opening its bases to U.S. troops for any operation on Iraq. REUTERS/str

Its a modernized M113 with a modified M55 Quad .50 Meatgrinder AA gun (1950's era) mounted on it. I think they call it the M55 A2 T2 (M113) or something.

This is basically what they have done:

· The 208 HP engine and transmission are dismantled and a new 300 HP Detroit Diesel engine with Allison cross drive transmission is installed.

· The cooling system is modified according to new power pack, the original grill is modified in order to accomodate the new radiator and fan.

· The vehicle is equipped with improved an suspension system with new torsion bar, rod arms, shock absorbers and idler group. Defective roadwheels, sprockets, final drives and track shoes are replaced.

· The fuel tanks the vehicle are removed. Two external fuel tanks are amounted on the rear of the vehicle. The fuel system is changed accordingly, hence increasing crew safety vehicle survivability.

· An ACV equivalent NBC system, heater, trim vane, ramp door, grenade launchers, electric and communication system, periscopes and bilge pumps are installed to the vehicle.

· Mounting provisions that accommodate for different types of bolt-on armour (add-on-armour) plates are made. During upgrading,the vehicle is stripped down to the bare hull and subjected to radiographic inspection of all major weldings. The cracks observed at final drive and idler pad areas are repaired prior to above modification work.

By the way, during this upgrade,the vehicle is stripped down to the bare hull and subjected to radiographic inspection of all major weldings. The cracks observed at final drive and idler pad areas are repaired before all of the above are done

Then they take this:

-Replace the electric motor and remove the batteries and generator of M55 turret and mount it on the vehicle. Hence the turret receives its power from the M113 power system.

-Communication and night vision capability is added to the turret.

I wonder how much it costs to do all this stuff. I hope its worth the effort. It does look pretty mean though :-)

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