Turkey bombards northern Iraq, Iraq says

by **Tumbleweed** on Wed Jul 18, 2007 3:24 pm

Looks like the North of Iraq is heating up with Turkey forces and the PKK.

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government said Turkish artillery and warplanes bombarded areas of northern Iraq on Wednesday and called on Turkey to stop military operations and resort to dialogue.

The claim occurred amid rising tension and Turkish threats to strike bases of the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK, which has been launching attacks against targets in Turkey from sanctuaries in Iraq.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told The Associated Press that the morning bombardment struck areas of the northern province of Dahuk, some 260 miles northwest of Baghdad.

Col. Hussein Kamal said about 250 shells were fired into Iraq from Turkey. He added that there were no casualties on the Iraqi side of the border.

"We have received reports that the Turkish government and the Turkish army have bombed border villages. The Iraqi government regrets the Turkish military operations of artillery and warplanes bombing against border cities and towns," al-Dabbagh said.

"The Iraqi government calls for ceasing these operations and resorting to dialogue," he said, insisting that Iraq wants "good relations with Turkey."

Earlier Wednesday, Kurdish guerrillas staged a bomb attack against a military vehicle, killing two soldiers and wounding six others near the Iraqi border, the state-run Anatolia news agency said.

Source

by **CHUQ** on Thu Jul 19, 2007 4:26 am

The next invasion oif Iraq, why not, they should be use to it by now.

Hiding in the high mountains and deep gorges of one of the world's great natural fortresses are bands of guerrillas whose presence could provoke a Turkish invasion of northern Iraq and the next war in the Middle East.

In the weeks before the Turkish election on Sunday, Turkey has threatened to cross the border into Iraq in pursuit of the guerrillas of the Turkish Kurdish movement, the PKK, and its Iranian Kurdish offshoot, Pejak.

The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zebari, warns that there are 140,000 Turkish troops massed just north of the frontier.

rewadme

by **Tumbleweed** on Thu Jul 19, 2007 4:44 am

We know it's going on too, yet we haven't made a statement on it. If they are using aircraft it's a violation of airspace, so basically we watched the whole thing unfold.

by **CHUQ** on Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:13 am

The Turkish elections are over and now they begin in earnest.

CAIRO -- Turkish leaders this week will give visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki what Turkish military commanders and analysts said could be a final warning to act against anti-Turkey Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq -- or to stand by while Turkish forces go after the rebels themselves, risking a new front in Iraq's war.

Leaders of Turkey's governing Justice and Development Party appear to be in agreement with Turkey's generals that the time has come to move against the Kurdistan Workers' Party, known by its Kurdish initials, PKK, in its bases in the mountains of northern Iraq, former generals and a military expert close to the Turkish military's general staff said.

At least 30,000 people have been killed since the Kurdish rebels launched a campaign in 1984 for an independent Kurdish homeland in eastern Turkey. Clashes and bombs this week killed 14 Turkish soldiers and rebel fighters. The rebels also kidnapped eight residents of a Kurdish village in the east.

LINK

by **Tumbleweed** on Mon Aug 06, 2007 9:22 am

Turkish military commanders and analysts said could be a final warning to act against anti-Turkey Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq -- or to stand by while Turkish forces go after the rebels themselves, risking a new front in Iraq's war.

I don't believe the Kurds will just stand back and watch. Our covert mission has been exposed so I'm not sure what our option is now. It looks like there will be a military confrontation on a larger scale than we are seeing now.

by **CHUQ** on Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:24 am

THe US is in a pickle! If they side with the Kurds they could lose a valuable ally in the ME. And if they side with Turkey, they would definately lose a valuable ally in Iraq. Decisions! Decisions!

by **CHUQ** on Tue Aug 07, 2007 5:26 am

If true, is not good.

The report, posted on the web site of PUKmedia, a news outlet linked to the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of the two main Iraqi Kurdish groups, said that 350 Turkish commando’s crossed the border after heavy shelling of the region by Turkish artillery Saturday night.

LINK

by **Tumbleweed** on Tue Aug 07, 2007 10:15 am

I have no doubt it's true. I'm surprised it took this long, and we aren't doing anything about it. Our policy could really backfire if this situation escalates. Turning a blind eye to to events will give Turkey the green light. IMO.

by **CHUQ** on Wed Aug 08, 2007 5:16 am

How about this story? Comments?

The PKK may be facing tough times ahead, and not only from the Turkish military. In a dramatic turn of events, Kurdistan's Prime Minister Negervan al-Barazani on Tuesday confirmed the presence of a limited number of Turkish troops inside the governate, explaining they are in northern Iraq with the permission of the Kurdish regional authorities.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, agreeing to join with Anakara in combating the Kurdish rebel group that has long enjoyed sanctuary in Kurdistan.

LINK

by **Tumbleweed** on Wed Aug 08, 2007 8:40 am

Turkey is more of an Iran allie than they are of NATO. This cross border mission by Turkey is BS as far as I'm concerned. It shows our weakness and the weakness of the Iraq government.

by **CHUQ** on Thu Aug 09, 2007 4:55 am

The whole argument that sunni support sunni and shi'a support sh'a is a load of crap. These countries do what will benefit them the most, religion is just a pretext.

by **Tumbleweed** on Thu Aug 09, 2007 9:42 am

There doesn't seem to be any policies made for the greater good of the region. It's basically every country for themselves from what I can tell.

They all seem to make some strange alliances where they stand on both sides of the fence.

by **CHUQ** on Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:31 am

Good news, right? well ask yourself what was Turkey promised to be patient?

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Iraqi counterpart Nouri al-Maliki hammered out a tentative agreement after tough negotiations in Ankara on Tuesday where by Turkey will shelve its threat to launch a military operation against the PKK terrorists holed up in the Iraqi Kurdish mountains while Baghdad will move to subdue the militants.

Diplomatic sources told The New Anatolian that the operation to tame the terrorists would be conducted in phases by isolating, pacifying and then finishing off the PKK in northern Iraq. The details of this would be discussed when an Iraqi security delegation probably led by the Interior Minister visits Turkey in two weeks time.

Turkey agreed to shelve its plans for a cross border military operation to attack the PKK bases in northern Iraq while Baghdad acknowledged that the PKK is a terrorist organization. In a joint communiqué Iraq agreed to fight all terrorist elements in its territory "including the PKK." Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari who is a Kurd and a senior member of Massoud Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party told The New Anatolian that the Kurds can live with this statement.

LINK

by **Tumbleweed** on Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:50 am

Turkey agreed to shelve its plans for a cross border military operation to attack the PKK bases in northern Iraq while Baghdad acknowledged that the PKK is a terrorist organization.

They were already considered a terrorist group. :lol:

If the PKK is successful in inflicting many casualties with their cross border raids before the central government puts their plan in place, I think Turkey will scrap their part of the bargain. IMO.

by **CHUQ** on Mon Aug 13, 2007 4:39 am

The more one watches this, if anyone besides us are watching it, it is only a matter of time before this situation erupts into full blown violence.

Turkey bombards northern Iraq, Iraq says

Turkey bombards northern Iraq, Iraq says

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