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Turkey Moves 1,000 Soldiers Into N. Iraq
AP | 3/21/03 | SUZAN FRASER

Posted on 03/21/2003 3:34:49 PM PST by kattracks

Turkey Moves 1,000 Soldiers Into N. Iraq

By SUZAN FRASER .c The Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey moved 1,000 soldiers into northern Iraq on Friday to beef up its forces there, a Turkish military official said. Turkey already maintains several thousand soldiers backed by a few dozen tanks in northern Iraq to chase Turkish Kurdish guerrillas. Turkey is also shifting some 5,000 soldiers to the border region, the military official said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

The Turkish foreign minister said Friday his nation was determined to send its troops over the border into northern Iraq to contain a possible refugee flow and prevent any attempt by Iraqi Kurds to break away from Iraq.

Abdullah Gul's remarks came despite strong opposition in Washington to any unilateral move by Turkey into northern Iraq. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday: ``We don't see any need for any Turkish incursions into northern Iraq.''

But ``Turkish soldiers will go in,'' Gul told reporters on his return from a trip from Brussels.

Gul's statement came after Turkey agreed Friday to allow U.S. overflights for a war with Iraq, reversing an earlier decision to block Turkey's airspace because of a disagreement with the United States over a Turkish troop deployment.

Washington has warned that a Turkish incursion could lead to friendly fire incidents with U.S. forces. Iraqi Kurdish groups say the move could lead to clashes.

In Washington, a senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Turkey opened its airspace without any conditions attached, adding that the U.S. administration continued to discuss the issue of Turkish troops separately.

Turkey's Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul also said Turkish and U.S. officials would continue negotiations.

Turkey has frequently sent soldiers into northern Iraq to chase Kurdish rebels belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which fought a 15-year battle for autonomy from Turkey.

Gul said Turkey wanted to prevent Iraq's breakup and to contain a possible refugee flow within Iraq's borders.

``Turkey's Iraq policy is ... Iraq's territorial integrity, that Iraq's resources are shared by the whole population ... that a refugee flow is contained within Iraq,'' Gul said.

``Turkey has no designs whatsoever on Iraq's territory. Turkey will take measures in line with these aims,'' he said.

Turkey fears that Iraq could fragment during a war, leading Iraqi Kurds to declare independence, which could encourage Turkish Kurdish rebels.

Turkey's parliament voted Thursday to allow the United States to use the airspace, a measure that would allow strike aircraft on carriers in the Mediterranean to fly more directly into Iraq.

The resolution passed by parliament would also allow Turkey to move its own forces into northern Iraq.



TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: turkeytroops; warlist
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1 posted on 03/21/2003 3:34:49 PM PST by kattracks
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To: kattracks
Turkey Moves 1,000 Soldiers Into N. Iraq

NOT a smart thing to do when we have over 250,000 troops and 5 carrier battle groups in that neighborhood.

2 posted on 03/21/2003 3:41:53 PM PST by Orangedog (Soccer-Moms are the biggest threat to your freedoms and the republic !)
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To: kattracks
Well, it just COULDN'T stay simple, now could it?!?!
After all, it's the Middle East we're talking about here!

Grr.

Well, I hope the Turks are prepared for the consequences, because, ready or not, here they come!

3 posted on 03/21/2003 3:44:06 PM PST by Teacher317
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To: Orangedog
I'm not sure why that would matter, since we won't have a military conflict with Turkey. I dunno why I have to keep reminding people of that fact. In any event, previous Turkish reports have indicated that Turkey intends to move between 80,000 to 100,000 forces into northern Iraq, which would probably be more than sufficient for whatever they have in mind.
4 posted on 03/21/2003 3:45:08 PM PST by AntiGuv (™)
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To: AntiGuv
The Kurds will kill them and kill them and kill them. No one hates the Turks as much as the Kurds. And the Kurds will see this as permission to take them on and take them out. This will spawn Kurdish violence in Turkey, and I am sure there are Greek and Armenian spies more than happy to stir the pot in Turkey any way they can.

Turkey stands to lose entrance into the EU, relationship with the US, and they will come out the final loser in Cyprus.

5 posted on 03/21/2003 3:48:37 PM PST by Maeve (Siobhan's daughter and sometime banshee.)
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To: Teacher317
>> Well, I hope the Turks are prepared for the consequences

Why? Are we at war or something? Just relax..
6 posted on 03/21/2003 3:50:21 PM PST by a_Turk (After all the jacks are in their boxes, and the clowns have all gone to bed..)
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To: *war_list
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list
7 posted on 03/21/2003 3:52:21 PM PST by Libertarianize the GOP (Ideas have consequences)
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Comment #8 Removed by Moderator

Comment #9 Removed by Moderator

To: 11B3; 2Trievers; alethia; AM2000; another cricket; ARCADIA; Archie Bunker on steroids; Aric2000; ...
The Turkish military looks like they're shrugging off the bickering politicians..
10 posted on 03/21/2003 3:54:21 PM PST by a_Turk (After all the jacks are in their boxes, and the clowns have all gone to bed..)
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To: a_Turk
Don't give me that crap. Your over-confident military will have nothing but pure Hell from the Kurds, but your government is too stupid to figure this out unless they plan on slaughtering the Kurds like they did the Armenians.
11 posted on 03/21/2003 3:55:41 PM PST by Maeve (Siobhan's daughter and sometime banshee.)
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To: a_Turk
I'm not really worried my friend. I think there is a lot of "fog" and "smoke" being blown up in the air to keep the eurocommies off balance.

V


12 posted on 03/21/2003 3:55:53 PM PST by Beck_isright ( V ......................... use this instead of bttt... for victory)
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To: seamole


The deployment over the past month has been impressive.. Who can say if they all will cross.. This was to have been an article in that original agreement which the US didn't have to keep thanks to our numbnuts in office screwing it up: The Turkish military had promised to send twice the number of US troops into northern Irak.

Remember.. The US had "promised" to sign that agreement pending a yes vote..

:^ \
13 posted on 03/21/2003 3:58:05 PM PST by a_Turk (After all the jacks are in their boxes, and the clowns have all gone to bed..)
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Comment #14 Removed by Moderator

To: a_Turk
Right now the Turkish military looks like the looters at the LA Riots.
15 posted on 03/21/2003 4:00:18 PM PST by Diddle E. Squat
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To: seamole; a_Turk
The Turkish foreign minister said Friday his nation was determined to send its troops over the border into northern Iraq to contain a possible refugee flow and prevent any attempt by Iraqi Kurds to break away from Iraq.

We can all rest assured that it will require more than 1,000 Turkish infantrymen to ensure that Iraqi Kurds will not move to break away from Iraq. I'm guessing between 80,000 to 100,000 armored forces...

16 posted on 03/21/2003 4:00:32 PM PST by AntiGuv (™)
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To: Maeve; AntiGuv; a_Turk
The Greeks, Serbs, Armenians, Russians, Iranians and Arabs are just waiting for a chance to bleed Turkey white in the hills of Kurdistan through good use of the Kurds-not that the Kurds need any help in killing Turks of course.

Long Live a Free Kurdistan!

17 posted on 03/21/2003 4:00:45 PM PST by Destro (Fight Islamic terrorisim by visiting www.johnathangaltfilms.com)
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To: Maeve
well Charles Krauthammer on FOX just agreed with you
18 posted on 03/21/2003 4:02:44 PM PST by try phecta tom
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To: kattracks
Charles Krauthammer just suggested , on FOX, that this is an advance Turk commando force and that we now know why the Turks didn't want a large US force in eastern Turkey/Northern Iraq.
19 posted on 03/21/2003 4:03:26 PM PST by Leroy S. Mort
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To: a_Turk
Maybe this is how Gul intends to get his $6 billion.
20 posted on 03/21/2003 4:04:18 PM PST by sinkspur
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