Peshmerga Advance Towards Kirkuk (Turkey, Kurds)

ZAMAN ^ | 03-30-03 | editor

[pkpjamestown]

The same Iraqi troops that have displayed such strong resistance to the coalition forces in the south of the country have reportedly shied away from encounters with the Kurdish peshmerga in the north and retreated to their lines around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

The peshmerga are believed to have advanced approximately 25 kilometers and are nearing Kirkuk, after having begun their operation several days ago. In addition, the Kirkuk-Kurdistan Web site claims that forces of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) are currently 20 kilometers outside of Kirkuk.

During negotiations conducted with the United States, Turkey had demanded that peshmerga not be used in potential attacks on Mosul and Kirkuk and that control of the region rest totally with U.S. troops. Turkey has warned that it will intervene in northern Iraq in the event that the Kurdish peshmerga enter Mosul and Kirkuk.

[pkpjamestown]

Are the Iraqi Kurds, Iraqis?

Are the Turkish Kurds, Turks?

Are the Turks, Iraqis?

[MadIvan]

We ought to tell the Turks, "sod off" - if the Iraqis fear the Kurds, so much the better. Turkey lost its say when it refused to allow American troops to open a second front from the north.

Regards, Ivan

[pkpjamestown]

Dervis Warns of Social Outburst

Ankara, TURKEY, March 30, 2003 - Pointing out that Turkey’s biggest problem was “social maintenance” rather than maintaining loans, Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy from Istanbul Kemal Dervis said: “We have reached the limit. We need to join hands and try to protect Turkey from a social outburst.”

This was Dervis’s first appearance in Parliament in the capacity of an elected official. Taking the rostrum to convey his party’s position during the final discussions of the 2003 budget bill, Dervis warned against a “social outburst.” He said that the government should avoid partisanship in public administration and added that structural reforms were necessary for a solution to the country’s economic problems. Beginning his speech by stating that Turkey’s resources were adequate, Dervis reminded his audience that he had served as the minister for the economy “at a difficult time for the country” in March of 2001. “The economy had stopped, we had problems finding credit and the state was afraid to pay salaries. The mission of politicians is to join hands and prevent the country from falling into such a position,” he said.

Mehmet Acikalin, another deputy from Istanbul for the Justice and Development Party (AKP), expressed his party’s opinion, saying, “With this budget, brave steps are being taken in terms of accounting and transparency.”

Suleyman Kurt / Ankara / TURKEY

http://www.zaman.org/default.php?kn=1389

[Paradox]

The same Iraqi troops that have displayed such strong resistance to the coalition forces in the south of the country have reportedly shied away from encounters with the Kurdish peshmerga in the north and retreated to their lines around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

Thats because the know that if the Kurds get them, they will be treated ALOT differently than if they were captured by the other coalition forces..

[Pearls Before Swine]

Maybe the reason for the retreat is strategic. I doubt it has anything to do with the fact that the Iraqis hate the Kurds in the North less than the USA in the south and around Baghdad.

If a gas counterattack lies in the future, a pullback could be strategic. I would expect the Kurds to be less well equipped to deal with it than the USMC.

[pkpjamestown]

A standard procedure in Turkish politics: When the internal problems "hit the fan", create a crisis abroad, to divert attention!

[pkpjamestown]

http://www.zaman.org/default.php?kn=1294&bl=commentary

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

This reminds me of the battle of Berlin.
Surrender to the Allies and get humanitarian treatment or let the Russians inflict maximum inhumanity.

The choices for the Iraqi military are slim.

Surrender to American forces and live or be slaughtered by the Kurds.

The Kurds should be at the northern outskirts of Baghdad soon.
The choice is obvious and the war will end surprisingly quickly.

[Grampa Dave]

One can only imagine 50,000 Kurds in Baghdad with several thousand spec ops from the UK, Australia and the USA.

We will have Baghdad surrounded with most of the Republican Guard fertilizing the desert around Baghdad. So there is no way out for the killer thugs.

We will know who the Bad Guys are in Baghdad. If they get out of their rat holes, they will be killed. If they stay in their rat holes, laser guided bombs will kill them.

[Orlando]

I think what Turkey realy wants is the oilfields, and is using the Kurd bs excuse's to invade Northern Iraq.
The Turks are not our friends. Watch them!

[unspun]

What I trust we're tellin those Turks is invaders of Iraq will be killed with extreme prejudice, as any other attacking enemy in a war.

[Orlando]

I beleive the Turks were paid-off by Saddam to hold-up the US 4th Army ID from coming in by the North. It worked, I just hope that command & Washington see these deceptions
and have started pulling our US troops OUT of Turkey as soon as possible !!! better safe than sorry.

[unspun]

And we shouldn't just pull our troops out of Turkey, we should reinvorce NW Iraq with them, to protect that nation and the Kurds from Turkey. We should be doing that immediately, I'd think.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This has to be keeping the thinking heads at the White House awake at night!

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[Sparta]

We will have Baghdad surrounded with most of the Republican Guard fertilizing the desert around Baghdad. So there is no way out for the killer thugs.

We will know who the Bad Guys are in Baghdad. If they get out of their rat holes, they will be killed. If they stay in their rat holes, laser guided bombs will kill them.

I know we're supposed to be liberating these people, why don't we just nuke Baghdad and get it over with? Syria, North Korea, China, and Russia can't wait forever.

[PISANO]

They are retreating because I am sure the TURKS don't give a damn about civilian casualties like our troops do.

[PISANO]

Sorry I meant KURDS vice TURKS.

[EternalHope]

Personally, I no longer give a rats @$$ what the Turks think.

Bring it on, Turkeys.

[Southack]

"Are the Iraqi Kurds, Iraqis? Are the Turkish Kurds, Turks?"

The Kurds have their own country, but it isn't "internationally recognized", so it doesn't show up on any maps. Militarily and politically, however, the Kurds control a fair-sized geographic slice of Turkey and Iraq.

Interestingly, the Kurds hate both the Turks and the Iraqis.

Moreover, the Kurds want to become internationally recognized. To do so would give them a seat at the UN, the right to various IMF/worldbank aid, the right to sell oil without paying bribes to Turks or Iraqis, and other major perks.

So is it any surprise that the Kurds are welcoming American troops with open arms as well as willing volunteers ready to fight the Iraqis?

Diplomatic recognition for the Kurds by the U.S. and UK would instantly give the Kurds what they have been fighting for over the past century or more. Furthermore, Kurdish fighting might expand the defacto border of the Kurds' territory into some prominent, oil-rich land in what we currently call Northern Iraq.

...And such "recognition" would not be out of the question if the Kurds were to win a single major battle for a city such as Tikrut or Mosul or Kirkut.

In contrast, Turkey followed the UN's path into irrelevancy. Had Turkey played ball with us, they could have secured a promise to not diplomatically recognize the Kurds' country.

However, as things stand today, there is no longer any such guarantee of our future diplomatic behavior.

Thus, Turkey and Iraq now both stand to potentially lose territory (from their official international borders, at least) to the Kurds in this war.

Let's hope that Turkey considers the promises made to them by France (in exchange for complicating the U.S. battle-plan) to be worth this new potential development...

[AFPhys]

I agree with you, Ivan... Turkey lost its say.

I believe they are getting this message in the strongest terms from the US, Britain and Australia.

The battle around Kirkuk is going to be classic, and very devastating for Saadumb's forces, whether or not they resort to chem/bio weapons.