Turkey leftovers for Breakfast

October 23, 2007: Turkish threats to invade have produced a new round of diplomatic activity. Iraq’s government stated that it will work with Turkey to prevent PKK guerrillas from using base areas in Iraq and from using Iraqi territory to attack Turkey. The US government promised Turkey that it would “urge” Iraq to carry thorough on promises made in August and September to “act” against the PKK. The new diplomatic buzz phrase is an attempt to  “prevent wider action” in northern Iraq. Turkish special forces and a small contingent of conventional troops routinely operate in northern Iraq. In response to Iraqi and American diplomatic statements, the Turkish government said that it would continue to pursue a political solution, and would only launch a major attack into northern Iraq if “diplomacy is exhausted.”

A PKK website claimed that the PKK has offered the Turkish government “a conditional ceasefire.” The conditions include no Turkish invasion of northern Iraq and an end to Turkish attacks on the PKK. 

October 22, 2007: Turkey deployed additional artillery units to the Turkey-Iraq border, and brought a reinforced armored brigade to the area near the village of Daglica (in Turkey, near the Iraq border). The move was in response to attacks by the PKK in the border area, especially an ambush that killed 12 Turkish soldiers. The Turkish military reported that 34 PKK fighters died in various clashes in the same border region. One Turkish source estimated that the PKK had a total of 200 fighters participating in firefights. If true, that is a very large PKK contingent and one that indicates the PKK leadership is looking for a fight. 

October 18, 2007: PKK supporters are once again claiming that “an Iraqi break-up” will create a new, independent Kurd state, which will ultimately incorporate Kurdish areas of Turkey. At the moment. these claims  don’t include predominantly-Kurd areas of Syria or Iran, but including those communities is no doubt viewed by PKK supporters as inevitable once a Kurd state is established. An Iraqi partition is something the PKK has always wanted. At the moment the PKK is in position to try to achieve that goal by goading Turkey into a full-scale invasion of northern Iraq. In the PKK dream scenario all Kurds would be united in one state.  

October 17, 2007: The Turkish parliament voted to permit the Turkish government to conduct a major military offensive into Iraq “if so required.” The measure had strong backing among Turkey’s major political parties.