Your Turk/Kurd update
(AP) The Turks killed 15 Kurdish guerrillas way inside Turkey.
(Same Article) "The PKK has indicated it is considering the release of the soldiers in response to calls by a lawmaker."
(AFP) Very little is being written about the Iranian position. They don't like the Kurds, but their investment in the Iraqi Shia government is also substantial. The Iranians are currently non-committal towards the Turks' incursion. (They are continuing to bombard PJAK positions along their border.)
(AP) A brief discussion of the terrain on the Iraqi side of the border. Mountains, and very soon, significant snow. (Also, a very brief mention of the arms flow coming up from the south. "In Baghdad Thursday, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker called on Iraq to try to disrupt weapons supplies and logistical assistance to the PKK."
Meanwhile, on the Kurdish backside,
The Turks do not want the Kurds to claim sole possession of Kirkuk seeing it as a "spiritual" center for the growing Kurdish independence movement, but to what lengths would they go? If the Turk/Kurd border ignites, do the Sunnis press hard in Kirkuk? To what degree do the Turks, encourage, assist, or cheer?
As is often the case, alot of questions and not many answers.
(Also, I'm really enjoying this exchange in comments on this post with Todd regarding the politics and tactics of a potential incursion.)
(Same Article) "The PKK has indicated it is considering the release of the soldiers in response to calls by a lawmaker."
(AFP) Very little is being written about the Iranian position. They don't like the Kurds, but their investment in the Iraqi Shia government is also substantial. The Iranians are currently non-committal towards the Turks' incursion. (They are continuing to bombard PJAK positions along their border.)
(AP) A brief discussion of the terrain on the Iraqi side of the border. Mountains, and very soon, significant snow. (Also, a very brief mention of the arms flow coming up from the south. "In Baghdad Thursday, U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker called on Iraq to try to disrupt weapons supplies and logistical assistance to the PKK."
Meanwhile, on the Kurdish backside,
A suicide car bomb has exploded in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, killing at least six people and injuring more than 20, officials said.
The blast, which happened in a mainly Kurdish area of the city, set cars and shops on fire, witnesses said.
The Turks do not want the Kurds to claim sole possession of Kirkuk seeing it as a "spiritual" center for the growing Kurdish independence movement, but to what lengths would they go? If the Turk/Kurd border ignites, do the Sunnis press hard in Kirkuk? To what degree do the Turks, encourage, assist, or cheer?
As is often the case, alot of questions and not many answers.
(Also, I'm really enjoying this exchange in comments on this post with Todd regarding the politics and tactics of a potential incursion.)
posted by mikevotes at
8:40 AM
3 Comments:
Nobody in the region really "likes" the Kurds. We only "liked" them because were opposed to Saddam, and later because they were the stable leg of an unstable tripod. Turkey, Syria, and Iran have no compunction about using draconian and deadly repression against domestic Kurds; they have done so in the past. This is the raison d'etre for the PKK, after all.
If Turkey goes beyond taking on the PKK and extends its actions to civilian and Iraqi governmental targets, the U.S. might establish no-fly zones. Beyond that, we have our hands full refereeing a civil war. In terms of Bush's objectives in Iraq, it makes little difference who controls Kirkuk or who "pacifies" any region. In terms of the intra-Iraqi conflict, however, the Kurds are in an advantageous position with the strongest military, most stable economy, and strongest position in the sham Iraqi gov't.
Turkey's major malfuction is not with the Kurds as much as it is with the PKK, so I see Turkey taking a pass on messing with Iraqi internal squabbles such as Kirkuk. They don't want to stir up religious fervor for or against any party in the Iraqi conflict...strictly secular.
By
Todd Dugdale , at 1:34 PM
Yeah. There's very little the US can do except air cover if the Turks do go at all. And, even if they do declare a "no fly" zone, is the US really prepared to shoot down Turkish aircraft?
And, I don't know about the depth of Turkey's issues with the Kurds. The immediate problem is certainly the PKK, but if Kurdistan were to go independent, it would create alot of long term pressure in southern Turkey.
I don't think they're targeting the Kurdish gov't at this point, but in the longer term, an independent Kurdistan represents a far larger problem than the few thousand PKK.
By
mikevotes, at 4:57 PM
nike roshe uk
paul george shoes
adidas superstar shoes
yeezy boost 350 v2
golden goose
links of london
balenciaga shoes
gucci belts
yeezy boost 350
chrome hearts
By
Unknown, at 3:30 AM
Post a Comment
<< Home