Kurdish War: January 19, 2004

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A senior Turkish military leader was quoted as saying the US was not doing enough to help Turkey fight PKK (separatist Kurd rebels) cadres still based in northern Iraq. In fact, the same report said that Turkey feared the PKK in Iraq would become a political factor in Iraq. That second statement is indeed a Turkish fear. Whats curious about the report is that first quote -- it suggests there is some type of working agreement between the US and Turkey about taking action against PKK holdouts in northern Iraq. The US has said that Turkey has legitimate security concerns with the PKK. The speculation begins when analysts ask What is the operational consequence of US acknowledgment of Turkish concerns with the PKK in post-Saddam Iraq? That has yet to be spelled out, publicly, hence the speculation that there is a working agreement (possibly involving shared intelligence) with Turkey regarding PKK elements in northern Iraq. The critical group not mentioned in the recent Turkish military statement is the Iraqi Kurds and how they stand on a US-Turkish working agreement to combat the PKK. (Austin Bay)


 

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