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It must feeeeeeeeeeeeeel good but the emotional outbursts that litter this thread add about as much as litter adds to scenic highways. The pathetic posted article purporting to be "intelligence" was in fact the Littering Permitted sign for those ignornant and unwilling to take the time to learn. The "intelligence" was as good as any Cold War disinformation concocted by the Soviets against Turkey. Just enough truth to be believable but omitting the rest of the story.

The "intelligence" report reads like defending against the PKK is an attack on "Kurdistan." BS. The PKK is a Marxist revolutionary group that is opposed by the Kurdish government, the U.S., and Baghdad. Its war against Turkey has claimed thousands of lives since the 1980s.

Yes, many Turks oppose "Kurdistan." But so do Syria, Iran and a couple of other countries that "occupy" portions of Kurdistan.

The Islamist Ottoman Empire expired almost one hundred years ago. Since 1923 Turkey has been a vigorously enforced secular country; Turkey today is a constitutional republic and has been a friend and ally for decades.

It was disappointing that we could not use Turkey's territory but public opinion was overwhelming against it (by more than 80 percent, I believe) and the recently ousted party objected to it also preferring instead to cater to France and the EU. There were other reasons dating back to the Gulf War.

Rather than trust some half-asseed "intelligence" report look at recent history as provided by some of us above or other sources. Anyone who feeeeeeeeels that the Turkish military has become a tool of radical Islam challenges the accepted definition of stupid.

Here is also a more reliable account of the aims of the Turkish military. That is, to counter Islamic extremists, radical leftists and Kurdish separatists (PKK) - it matters not that the Islamic extremists emerge as part of the elected government. To wit, "Turkey has seen three military coups since 1960. Its first Islamist-led government was forced to resign in 1997 under pressure from the military, which has traditionally acted as guardian of the secular state."

http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/features/2004/08/31/feature-02

"Turkish Military Chief: Army Ready to Counter Terrorism"

31/08/2004 "Turkey's military says it is prepared to counter any separatist or Islamic extremist activities threatening the country's secular order and unity."

(Turkish Daily News - 31/08/04; Reuters, AP, Turkish Press - 30/08/04)

"'The armed forces are forced to be much more vigilant ... and stronger than in the past because of the threats we face during the dynamic process we are now undergoing,' maintains Turkish Chief of General Staff General Hilmi Ozkok. [AFP]

"Turkey's military said Monday (30 August) that it is prepared to counter any surge in separatist or Islamic extremist activities deemed to be posing a threat to the country's secular order and unity.

"'The armed forces are forced to be much more vigilant ... and stronger than in the past because of the threats we face during the dynamic process we are now undergoing,' Turkish Chief of General Staff General Hilmi Ozkok wrote in a memorial book at the mausoleum of Kemal Ataturk on Monday, as the country celebrated the 82nd anniversary of its national Victory Day holiday.

"The victory over invading French, British, Italian and Greek forces in 1922 eventually led to the establishment of the Turkish republic, with Ataturk becoming its first president.

"'There are obvious circles that are frequently questioning our national values, that want to try the nation's and the armed forces' patience and determination, who are threatening our national unity with terrorist activities,' Ozkok said.

"Turkey has seen a number of bomb attacks in recent months, including four suicide bombings in Istanbul in November 2003 that killed more than 60 people. Authorities have blamed the attacks on Islamic extremists, radical leftists and Kurdish separatists. A Turkish cell of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida terrorist network claimed responsibility for the Istanbul bombings.

"On Monday, Turkish police said they defused bombs placed in a suspicious package in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir, preventing the possible assassination of senior military commanders and other officials during the Victory Day celebrations.

"The military has responded cautiously to government measures aimed at increasing the cultural rights of the country's sizeable Kurdish minority, with some warning that the reforms -- part of efforts to meet requirements for EU membership -- could fuel separatist aspirations.

"According to analysts, Turkey's military remains skeptical about the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which came to power after winning the November 2002 parliamentary elections. The party was founded on the ashes of an Islamic movement outlawed in the late 1990s, but has rejected allegations that it aims to 'Islamicise' the Turkish state.

"Turkey has seen three military coups since 1960. Its first Islamist-led government was forced to resign in 1997 under pressure from the military, which has traditionally acted as guardian of the secular state." [End of article]