Turkish Claws on Northern Iraq

Hurriyet ^ | 8/8/2002 | N/A

[a_Turk]

The countdown is on for the US attack on Iraq. Turkey has taken position in Northern Iraq in a blitz.

As concerns of an imminent US attack on Iraq grow day by day, Turkey has secured the Critical Bamerni airport in Northern Iraq.

Operational

Turkey has sent heavy machinery and electronic support equipment to the airport along with military and civil personnel who have made the airport available for military use in short order. Ankara, thereby, made it impossible for any other to strategically control the oil rich regions of Mosul and Kirkuk. Turkey has, additionally, established a umber of security checkpoints in northern Iraq.

Talabani explains

This surprize development was reported by PUK leader Celal Talabani, who had been in Ankara on 8/7.

Reports of 5000 Soldiers

The security apparatus inside Iraq was expanded to include a number of forward bases. According to unofficial sources, Turkey has about 5000 soldiers in the region.

Another unofficial report suggests that there are a few Americans who come and go to the Airport.

[justshe]

****Bush is in Crawford right now. Do you really expect him to start a war before Sept.11th? I don't. Too much at stake and he will look like he knew something bad was coming to D.C. by not being in town when the war starts. I can see him being eaten alive by the media. ****

President Bush has 14 more 'day' trips planned during the month of August. Except for his economic summit at Baylor(?)which I'm assuming we could figure he would not cancel.....he would be but a plane ride away from D.C. I wonder which of his upcoming day trips bring him closest to D.C.

[The KG9 Kid]

"... Do you really expect him to start a war before Sept.11th? I don't. Too much at stake and he will look like he knew something bad was coming to D.C. by not being in town when the war starts."

As long as we're all speculatizing and whutnot, maybe THAT'S part of the plan: Look like you're going fly-fishing for a month, and then drop the bomb. Race back to the White House after you've sprung the trap.

Hey, why not?

[a_Turk]

Our losers of the day entered the war like this: The British were chasing a German battleship in the North Sea. They chased it all the way down the Atlantic coast into the Mediterranean, and then east into Turkish waters, where finally it sought refuge in our straits. The British demanded the ship. The Turks declined. The British expressed that this would amount to an act of war. The Turks replied that, fine, then this is our declaration of war.

The British did not need the ship, which ended up being a Turkish ship finally mothballed in the 1970s. After the declaration of war, they went on their merry way, as if the ship had suddenly lost it's importance. Well, in a way it did, it had done it's job.

[CARepubGal]

The Ottoman provinces ruled by a secular westernized state (hint hint!) leading the Arabs out of Wahabi extremism into the 21st century and a more moderate Islam. Sounds pretty darn good to me!

[MinorityRepublican]

I'm wondering about the Kurds. I know they're muslims, but are they extremists like the Arabs?

I'm curious of why the Turks keep cracking down on the Kurds.

P.S. Just asking, I know that Turkey is a great ally of USA. :-)

[B-bone]

It seems like everyone is forgetting that last summer Bush went to Crawford for a month. The press had a fit complaining that he was taking a month off and then complained how hot it was in Crawford.

I don't read anything into his trip to Crawford. I don't think going to Crawford will stop him from attacking Iraq during that time if he thinks that is the best time to do it, however.

[a_Turk]

>>I'm wondering about the Kurds. I know they're muslims, but are they extremists like the Arabs?

Some Arabs are extremists, some Kurds are extremists. Extremists exist among all our nations..

>>I'm curious of why the Turks keep cracking down on the Kurds.

We've got lots of Kurds who are citizens of Turkey. The constitution is colorblind, so there's no special treatment of anyone regradless of color, race, etc. Many are successful businessmen, in politics, and one even ran the country for a decade (Turgut Ozal). Irony, he had to crack down on what's romantically called "Kurdish freedom fighters" around here. In fact, they are not freedom fighters, but terrorists encouraged by those external interest groups who'd like to see our country disintegrate (USSR in the 80s, Greece, Syria, Armenia) so they could get a piece of it.

Fact is that Kurds and the rest of the citizenry of the Republic of Turkey are intermingled and intermarried, live side by side in peace. Now that the Marxist Leninist terror group PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) has been eliminated, the emergency rule in the southeast provinces is discontinued and life has returned to normal.

[Centurion2000]

The dissolution of the post-Sevres Arab petty despotisms and the reconstruction of Ottoman Arabia along modern lines, under joint American (economic/political) and Turkish (religious) supervision, should do the trick.

Careful, you're going to make the EU, Russia and China wet themselves when they realize this possibility.

[dpwiener]

I've seen recent reports (which I could dig out but I'm too tired to bother right now) about a resurgence of Islamic political parties in Turkey. How much risk do you think there is of Turkey succumbing to the religious fanaticism that has gripped the Arab-Muslim nations?

[bjcintennessee]

I am curious as to the Kurds status when the end-game is played out. While I am certain they will support the downfall of Saddam, would they willingly submit to Turkish rule? I assume the Kurds are Islamists, since that is prevalent in the Middle East, but are they extremists?

Kurdish questions aside, I am delighted at the prospect of Turkey moving against Suddam. My impression of Turkey is that they have a democratic government, yet a government that would have little tolerance for tribal warfares within its community (the type of tribal warfare that continues to threaten the new government in Afghanistan).

[Grampa Dave]

Great news!

Way to go Turks!

Guess we don't need that base in Saudi Land after all. Nothing better to fly our wings of death to the Iraqi thugs, than a secure air base in Northern Iraq.

[Grampa Dave]

DG posted, "A plan which gives northern Iraq to Turkey (it won't be characterized quite that bluntly) will go a long way toward solving some Turkish strategic goals, and the US should have no objection to that.

Sounds like a hell of a great deal to me.

Of course the Rats entrenched in the State Department will go nuts as well as the NY Slimes. The UN carrion pickers will have massive strokes, but no big losses for our side.

This adds new meaning to "You are either with or against us. Choose life or death!

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the ping.

Would you call this a premptive strike? :)

[BlessingInDisguise]

Big deal. If we ever need a load of soldiers they'll just draft us.

[piasa]

This meams that someone, somewhere, is actually thinking about what's likely to happen after Hussein "faw down go boom," and is doing something to prevent it.

Good point. This is a good move, and explains why hussein was trying to play kissy-face with the Kurds even after everything he's done.

[Jeff Chandler]

I'm curious: does Turkey have the military wherewithall to take on Iraq alone? Also, how do the Kurds figure into this?

[Jeff Chandler]

Nevermind the Kurd question. You already answered it.

[Jeff Chandler]

Chances are that W will not attack until after the November elections, because he would not want the Republicans to gain an unfair advantage over an issue of international importance. New tone and all.

[jwtexian]

wt, I sent Turk's piece to Charley Jones on KRLD radio (1080 am, Dallas) earlier this evening and he mentioned it about thirty minutes ago. He is having a ball with the Ledeen article about the "secret" revolution going on in Iran also.

Regards

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

This is the rook, baby!

Nah, 5,000 troops is just a pawn--for now.

Certainly raises the possibility of your rook coming later, tho!

Or maybe just another pawn, a little further . . .

And then an offer of a "merger".