Top Turkish general fears Kurds will be new U.S. ally vs. Iraq

The World Tribune ^ | 4 March, 2003

[Happy2BMe]

Top Turkish general fears Kurds will be new U.S. ally vs. Iraq

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COMTuesday, March 4, 2003

ANKARA — Turkey's military has quietly warned the government that the Kurds south of Turkey in northern Iraq will emerge as the primary U.S. ally unless Ankara and Washington cooperate in the expected war against the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein.

Turkish Chief of Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok briefed Prime Minister Abdullah Gul on the military's assessment of the expected war against Iraq. The briefing came in wake of parliament's rejection of the government request for U.S. troops in Turkey on Saturday and the subsequent refusal by Ankara's military to allow U.S. officers to cross the border into Iraq.

Kurdish forces have warned that they will treat Turkish troops crossing the border into Iraq as the enemy. The warning has alarmed Turkish military leaders, who have asked the Bush administration to intervene, Middle East Newsline reported.

"There is no reason anymore for Washington to consider Turkey's interests in northern Iraq," a Turkish military source said. "If the United States acts alone in northern Iraq, then the Kurds will be the main military ally of Washington."

[On Monday, parliamentary speaker Bulent Arinc ruled out the reintroduction of the government request for up to 62,000 U.S. troops. "The motion regarding the dispatch of Turkish soldiers abroad and deployment of foreign armed forces in Turkey should not be submitted to parliament again in the same way," Arinc said.]

Ozkok was said to have warned Gul that parliament's rejection of the U.S. military presence would threaten the prospect of cooperation between Ankara and Washington regarding the future of Iraq. The general asserted on Sunday that without a U.S. military umbrella Turkish troops in northern Iraq would be under threat from Kurdish forces.

"If Turkish troops enter the northern Iraq, this would cost Turkey," Ozkok was quoted as saying. "It wouldn't be appropriate for the TSK [Turkish military] to enter the northern Iraq under these conditions as it didn't get enough support from the United States."

[In Washington, the Bush administration acknowledged that Turkey's rejection of U.S. troops could be final. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said the administration would reassess U.S. war plans as well as relations with Ankara. "Turkey is reviewing its options," Fleischer said on Monday.

"The United States is reviewing its options. And I think it's impossible to make any judgments beyond that at this time."]

Western intelligence sources said Turkey has deployed a division, or about 20,000 troops, in northern Iraq. They said Turkey had planned to deploy up to 80,000 troops in northern Iraq during the war against Baghdad.

Turkish military sources said parliament's rejection of a U.S. troop deployment in Turkey has torpedoed a draft memorandum of understanding with Washington on the conduct of the war in Iraq. Under the MoU, Ankara would be allowed to deploy tens of thousands of troops in northern Iraq under Turkish military command as well as receive billions of dollars in U.S. aid.

The military sources said the Gul government has been told that Washington does not plan to wait for a Turkish reversal of the parliamentary decision. They said the U.S. Defense Department has prepared plans to divert at least two divisions to Kuwait and airlift special operations forces from the Mediterranean over Israel and Jordan and directly to northern Iraq.

"The greatest nightmare would come to be true if the United States goes ahead without Turkey and wins the war against Iraq," Turkish analyst Ali Nihat Ozcan said. "In this case, it will have no responsibility to ask Turkey's opinion on how to restructure Iraq."

[Blue Collar Christian]

Share your dope!

[dfwgator]

The Kurds are this year's version of the KLA. They will eventually turn on us and we are going to have to deal with them down the road when Saddam is but a faded memory.

[Mister Baredog]

"The greatest nightmare would come to be true if the United States goes ahead without Turkey and wins the war against Iraq

Isn't that what they voted for?

[guitfiddlist]

Kurdish forces have warned that they will treat Turkish troops crossing the border into Iraq as the enemy. The warning has alarmed Turkish military leaders, who have asked the Bush administration to intervene, Middle East Newsline reported.

Huh? The warning has alarmed Turkish military leaders, who have asked the Bush administration to intervene.

Yeah, ain't that sumthin? It's like a burglar calling the cops when you tackle him as he helps himself to your home and possessions. (Of course, the ACLU has made that sort of lunacy commonplace as well).

[debg]

and now they'll have to foot the bill all by themselves for expenses due to a war on their border. if they thought the last war was costly to their well-being, they ain't seen nothing yet.

maybe germany, russia or france can help them out with their Diners Card. they should have applied for the American Express.

[George W. Bush]

Are the Kurds really Maoist-Marxist commies?

Well, that's complicated. Ostensibly, yes. In the past, they bought into the rhetoric and methods as a way of expressing their solidarity and consolidating their power. This has not been uncommon among peoples with little wealth and a long history of oppression.

But that is no block to our using them in northern Iraq. They hate Turkey's attempt to seize their land and they hate Saddam for gassing and killing them. A new more democratic Iraq with zones of local autonomy and enough wealth to sustain a democracy of sorts is very much in their interest. And we'll probably have an airbase or two in the area as a reminder. The last ten years of our protection of them in northern Iraq is the only good ten years they've had in the last thousand years so I think they'll listen to us. Especially with a few hundred thousand American troops around and an unfriendly Turkey and Iran on the borders nearest the Kurds in northern Iraq.

Like many other domestic Marxist groups, these Kurds are more Kurdish than communist. The point is to prevent a full-blown communist state which we will never tolerate.

Alliance with communists is hardly unprecedented. It is how we won WW II in alliance with the Soviets. You work with what you can get.

[joesnuffy]

Geraldo (the professional apologist for anti americans) apologizing for them now on Fox

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Salgak]

Sure. . . for 60 billion dollars in grants. . . if they want to extort us, then turnabout is fair play. . .

[epluribus_2]

turkey and france have SO screwed themselves.

[dyed_in_the_wool]

"The greatest nightmare would come to be true if the United States goes ahead without Turkey and wins the war against Iraq," Turkish analyst Ali Nihat Ozcan said. "In this case, it will have no responsibility to ask Turkey's opinion on how to restructure Iraq."

Um, yeah...

[Blue Collar Christian]

I know, huh.

[dyed_in_the_wool]

Turkey would have been great to have as an ally. Too bad they chose the other side.

It's like WWI all over again. The Ottoman's chose Germany over England and we know what happened to their empire...

[epluribus_2]

Big New Idea - how about we land the 4th armoured in Israel instead of turkey and just drive through Jordan (and Syria). That would make the whole world just FREAK. Would love to see Judy Woodruf report that.

[majordivit]

Ah..lesson no 1. about democracies. You can lose big time if representatives allow mob rule to decide how to vote in matters of national security.

[Diogenesis]

Yup. And them some.

[Robe]

If Ya Snooze.....Ya Lose

[EternalHope]

One thing all Turks seem to agree on is continued domination of the Kurds. The Turkish military would intervene if the government seemed too EASY on the Kurdish question, but not because the government was too hard line.

Turkey is violently opposed to a free Kurdistan because the Kurds want part of their new nation to be carved out of today's Turkey. The Kurds have been responsible for various terrorist acts inside Turkey, and the Turks are not amused.

Basically, Turkey and the Kurds have no love for each other, and are ready to fight.

I strongly suspect Turkey intends to invade northern Iraq on its own once the war starts. They will have two objectives: Capture the oil fields and control the Kurds.

Iraq has no military worth mentioning in northern Iraq. The chief opposition to Turkey will come from the Kurds, not the Iraqi army.

Turkey would gladly fight a war if that is what it took to prevent the Kurds from having their own nation. The Kurds will gladly fight the Turks if they invade.

The U.S. is the wild card for each side. Turkey has spit in our eye, the Kurds have welcomed us with open arms. Turkey is one of the most powerful nations in the region, and does not think we will openly fight them even if they attack the Kurds. The Kurds are weak, but eager to be our ally (they need our help to hold off the Turks).

If we side with the Kurds, we may have to fight Turkey. Whatever we do, it must be consistent with our needs in the war against the truly evil Sodamned (first things first). Which side should we take?

[guitfiddlist]

Big New Idea - how about we land the 4th armoured in Israel instead of turkey and just drive through Jordan (and Syria). That would make the whole world just FREAK.

I like it, I like it. Reminds me of a vintage John Madden interview, when they asked him about his coaching of the bad-boy Raiders of old. He said "Yeah, we play tough, we get a lot of penalties, we're in their face, but tbe question to the other team is...what are you gonna DO about it?"

[PhiKapMom]

Thanks for the ping! Have a hunch the Turkish military is not very happy with their politicians!

Turkey has lost all say in Iraq and they are right, the Kurds will be out friends in that region (at least for now).