23 March 2007

A new front in Iraq?

The Turkish government is claiming that Kurdish seperatists, operating out of US occupied Iraq, are planning attacks into Turkey and the US is being hard pressed to prevent Turkey taking military action within Iraq. Should that occur the risks of a wider conflagration are dramatically heightened as there are significant populations of Kurds in Syria and Iran as well, a significant percentage of whom hope for an independent Kurdistan someday. The Turks claim that nearly 4,000 PKK fighter are organised within Iraqi Kurdistan and prepared for actions within Turkey.

To quote Abdullah Gül, foreign minister of Turkey

:"We will do what we have to do, we will do what is necessary. Nothing is ruled out...I have said to the Americans many times: suppose there is a terrorist organisation in Mexico attacking America. What would you do?... We are hopeful. We have high expectations. But we cannot just wait forever."

There have already been minor Turkish incursions into Iraqi territory during what is termed "hot pursuit".

Just when everything else in the region was going so well!

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