Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Turkey prepares for possible incursion into northern Iraq
Region
(Al Jazeera) - Turkey is preparing for a possible incursion into northern Iraq as the government says it is willing to take all necessary measures against Kurdish separatists it suspects of hiding there. The decision by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister, follows a series of deadly attacks by the rebel PKK group on Turkish security forces.
"To put an end to the terrorist organisation operating in the neighbouring country [Iraq], the order has been given to take every kind of measure, legal, economic, political, including also a cross-border operation if necessary," Erdogan's office said in a statement on Tuesday.
Kurdish rebels have killed 15 soldiers in separate attacks in the past two days. There is increasing anger in the country over the rebels' ability to find refuge in neighbouring Iraq. The military said on Sunday it had shelled an area near Iraq to try to stop PKK members from escaping across the border after an attack in the southeast province of Sirnak that killed 13 soldiers. However, residents in northern Iraq claim the Turkish shelling is landing well within their territory. Kurdish farmers displayed craters on Tuesday they said were left by artillery shells that hit close to the border.
Ankara has not confirmed any shelling of Iraqi territory. Local officials in the Iraqi Kurdish-run northern region, feared the shelling was a sign of more to come. In the city of Arbil, 350km north of Baghdad, the Kurdish governor warned Turkey on Tuesday that its troops would sustain heavy losses if they began operations in the region.
"To put an end to the terrorist organisation operating in the neighbouring country [Iraq], the order has been given to take every kind of measure, legal, economic, political, including also a cross-border operation if necessary," Erdogan's office said in a statement on Tuesday.
Kurdish rebels have killed 15 soldiers in separate attacks in the past two days. There is increasing anger in the country over the rebels' ability to find refuge in neighbouring Iraq. The military said on Sunday it had shelled an area near Iraq to try to stop PKK members from escaping across the border after an attack in the southeast province of Sirnak that killed 13 soldiers. However, residents in northern Iraq claim the Turkish shelling is landing well within their territory. Kurdish farmers displayed craters on Tuesday they said were left by artillery shells that hit close to the border.
Ankara has not confirmed any shelling of Iraqi territory. Local officials in the Iraqi Kurdish-run northern region, feared the shelling was a sign of more to come. In the city of Arbil, 350km north of Baghdad, the Kurdish governor warned Turkey on Tuesday that its troops would sustain heavy losses if they began operations in the region.
Nozad Hadi, the region's governor, said: "If the Turkish troops decided to enter into the Iraq's Kurdistan territories, their decision would be wrong and they would sustain heavy casualties and material losses." Turkey's parliament would have to authorise any large-scale military operation into Iraq, but troops could pursue rebels over the border in smaller, so-called "hot pursuit" operations without such authorisation.
The US said it supported Turkey and Iraq in their efforts to combat the PKK but warned against military incursions from Ankara. Al Jazeera's Yusuf Sharif in Ankara says Turkey is unlikely to send troops into its neighbour in the near future given that it is due to host a regional conference next month with Iraqi representatives among the attendees. Sharif also said that the government in Baghdad wants time for a recent security agreement signed with Turkey to take effect.
Yusuf Kanli from the Turkish Daily News said while there was public pressure on the Erdogan government to show it was able to deal effectively with PKK rebels it needed to differentiate between the group and the wider Kurdish issue. "You can not end this kind of terrorism through military action, there are other factors to consider such as political, and social elements that intermingle," he told Al Jazeera. "But Turkey can not in any way ignore the need to provide security for its country. They have to differentiate between PKK and the Kurdish problem."
Labels: northern Iraq, PKK, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Sirnak province, Turkey
Monday, October 08, 2007
Kurdish rebels kill Turkish soldiers
Region
(AP) - Kurdish rebels killed 13 Turkish soldiers Sunday in a clash in the country's southeast, and troops responded by shelling an area near Iraq to try to stop the rebels from escaping across the border, the military said. Turkey has been pressing Iraq and the United States to hit the bases of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq, and has considered a unilateral military operation across the border to root out the rebels.
The soldiers were killed in the southeastern province of Sirnak, not far from where troops and rebels clashed two days earlier, according to a statement on the military's Web site. An operation to track down the rebels was under way, and troops shelled areas near the border to try to prevent rebels from reaching their bases in northern Iraq, the statement said.
The clash "boosted our determination and strength" to fight terrorism, the military said. Abdul-Rahman al-Chadarchi, a spokesman for the Kurdish rebel group, confirmed the attack and said the rebel fighters sustained no casualties. Kurdish rebels have been staging attacks on Turkey from their bases in northern Iraq. But the U.S. opposes any military move into Iraq by Turkey.
Turkey's military on Sunday designated 27 "security zones" off limits to civilians in eastern and southeastern regions where the borders with Iraq and Iran converge. Starting Tuesday, the zones will be in place until Dec. 10. The military imposed similar zones earlier in June in three southeastern provinces to keep civilians away from the fighting with the PKK. Some experts have speculated that the zones are part of preparations for a possible Iraq campaign.
The soldiers were killed in the southeastern province of Sirnak, not far from where troops and rebels clashed two days earlier, according to a statement on the military's Web site. An operation to track down the rebels was under way, and troops shelled areas near the border to try to prevent rebels from reaching their bases in northern Iraq, the statement said.
The clash "boosted our determination and strength" to fight terrorism, the military said. Abdul-Rahman al-Chadarchi, a spokesman for the Kurdish rebel group, confirmed the attack and said the rebel fighters sustained no casualties. Kurdish rebels have been staging attacks on Turkey from their bases in northern Iraq. But the U.S. opposes any military move into Iraq by Turkey.
Turkey's military on Sunday designated 27 "security zones" off limits to civilians in eastern and southeastern regions where the borders with Iraq and Iran converge. Starting Tuesday, the zones will be in place until Dec. 10. The military imposed similar zones earlier in June in three southeastern provinces to keep civilians away from the fighting with the PKK. Some experts have speculated that the zones are part of preparations for a possible Iraq campaign.
Labels: Abdul-Rahman al-Chadarchi, northern Iraq, PKK, Sirnak province, Turkey
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
50,000 Turkish soldiers on Turk-Iraqi border
Security, Turkey, Kurdistan
(PanARMENIAN) - 50,000 Turkish soldiers are now concentrated at Turk-Iraqi border region of Sirnak. According to military sources a large operation by Turkish military forces aimed at PKK (Worker's Party of Kurdistan) terrorists in the provinces of Sirnak near the Iraqi border continues. Units of the Turkish military are fighting in the Cudi and Gabar mountains, as well as the Bestler-Dereler points near Sirnak. New positions have been staked out by Turkish armed forces near the border, taking the border into direct target in preparation for terrorists trying to cross over. While the transfer of soldiers and vehicles to the border area continues, as it has for 3 months now.
U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Ross Wilson stated the United States supports the Turkish military operation in its pursuit of PKK terrorists. "Turkey has been in a leader position for a long time in the fight against terror. It has faced terror on a high level for a long time. Turkey has lost 40 thousand lives fighting in the last years," Wilson stated speaking at an anti-terrorism conference held this week at the Swissotel in Istanbul.
Speaking in direct reference to the renewed efforts by Turkish security forces against PKK forces last week, Wilson said, "In recent weeks, the Turkish security forces began an open struggle against the PKK. The U.S. supports this struggle," Ross Wilson underlined, Hurriyet reports.
U.S. Ambassador to Ankara Ross Wilson stated the United States supports the Turkish military operation in its pursuit of PKK terrorists. "Turkey has been in a leader position for a long time in the fight against terror. It has faced terror on a high level for a long time. Turkey has lost 40 thousand lives fighting in the last years," Wilson stated speaking at an anti-terrorism conference held this week at the Swissotel in Istanbul.
Speaking in direct reference to the renewed efforts by Turkish security forces against PKK forces last week, Wilson said, "In recent weeks, the Turkish security forces began an open struggle against the PKK. The U.S. supports this struggle," Ross Wilson underlined, Hurriyet reports.
Labels: PKK, Sirnak province, Turk-Iraqi border, Turkish soldiers
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Clashes in S.E. Turkey between soldiers and PKK
Security
(Reuters) - Two Turkish soldiers and two Kurdistan Workers' Party guerrillas were killed late on Saturday in southeast Turkey, officials said on Sunday. Fighting tends to escalate in the spring as the snow melts and guerrillas cross the border from their hide-outs in Kurdish-ruled northern Iraq, where Anakara continues to urge the United States to crack down on militants.
The PKK has been fighting for a homeland in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey since 1984, and Ankara blames it for more than 30,000 deaths since then. The governor of the province of Sirnak, which borders Iraq, said in a statement two soldiers had been killed in clashes in the province, while a security official said two militants had been killed in Hatay, which borders Syria.
The security official said on Sunday fighting was most intense in the border areas. "Particularly in Hakkari and Sirnak clashes have increased in recent days .... groups trying to cross into Turkey from northern Iraq are being constantly followed," he said.
The PKK has been fighting for a homeland in mainly Kurdish southeast Turkey since 1984, and Ankara blames it for more than 30,000 deaths since then. The governor of the province of Sirnak, which borders Iraq, said in a statement two soldiers had been killed in clashes in the province, while a security official said two militants had been killed in Hatay, which borders Syria.
The security official said on Sunday fighting was most intense in the border areas. "Particularly in Hakkari and Sirnak clashes have increased in recent days .... groups trying to cross into Turkey from northern Iraq are being constantly followed," he said.
Labels: Hatay, PKK, Sirnak province, Turkey
Monday, April 09, 2007
Turkish officials say PKK killed three soldiers
Security, Turkey
(VOA) - Turkish officials say two soldiers and a government-paid village guard were killed in a clash with Kurdish rebels. They say the fighting erupted in Sirnak province late Saturday. At least three other soldiers have been killed since Friday, including one who was killed by a landmine. The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, has been fighting Turkey for autonomy since 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives. The group called for a ceasefire in October, but Turkey rejected it.
COMMENT: This could be the trigger that will push Turkey to attack the PKK in northern Iraq, something they have threatened to do for a long time. Their troops are on the alert and ready to go.
The PKK is a Marxist separatist group that until recently sought to create an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey and parts of neighboring countries inhabited by Kurds. (It’s known as the PKK after its Kurdish name, Partiya Karkeren Kurdistan.) During a rebellion that began in the mid-1980s and claimed some 35,000 lives, the group used guerrilla warfare and terrorism, including kidnappings of foreign tourists in Turkey, suicide bombings, and attacks on Turkish diplomatic offices in Europe. The PKK has also repeatedly attacked civilians who refuse to assist it.
A crushing Turkish military crackdown and the February 1999 capture of the PKK’s leader, Abdullah Ocalan, have led the group’s 5,000 fighters to withdraw to northern Iraq and its leadership to renounce armed struggle and reconstitute itself as a political party. But the Turkish government, which does not recognize its Kurdish minority as distinct from other Turks, continues to regard the PKK as a terrorist group. The United States—one of Turkey’s NATO allies—lists the PKK as a foreign terrorist organization. COMMENT ENDS.
A crushing Turkish military crackdown and the February 1999 capture of the PKK’s leader, Abdullah Ocalan, have led the group’s 5,000 fighters to withdraw to northern Iraq and its leadership to renounce armed struggle and reconstitute itself as a political party. But the Turkish government, which does not recognize its Kurdish minority as distinct from other Turks, continues to regard the PKK as a terrorist group. The United States—one of Turkey’s NATO allies—lists the PKK as a foreign terrorist organization. COMMENT ENDS.
Labels: PKK, Sirnak province, Turkey
