Kurdish Troops Surround Turks in Worst Confrontation Yet in Iraq

[Hissyspit]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

Kurdish troops surround Turks in worst confrontation yet in Iraq

By LEILA FADEL and YASSEEN TAHA
McClatchy Newspapers
BAGHDAD | Iraqi Kurdish troops on Thursday encircled Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq and threatened to open fire in the most serious standoff between the two nation’s forces since Turkey threatened late last year to go after guerrillas from the Kurdistan Workers Party sheltering in Iraq.

The standoff began when Turkish troops in tanks and armored vehicles left one of five bases they’ve had in Iraq since 1997 and moved to control two main roads in Dahuk province, Iraqi officials said. Kurdish soldiers from the peshmerga militia, which is loyal to the Kurdish Regional Government, moved to stop them. For an hour and a half, the two sides faced off before the Turkish soldiers retreated to their base, which is about 27 miles northeast of the city of Dahuk. The peshmerga surrounded the base and remained there late Thursday.

The Turkish troop movement was accompanied by artillery and airstrikes that targeted mountain areas held by rebels from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is known by its initials as the PKK. A spokesman for the peshmerga, Jabar Yawar, said the shelling began at about 11 a.m. and continued past midnight. Two bridges were knocked out over the Great Zab River, he said.

“This is a matter of the sovereignty of Iraq and the unity of Iraq,” said Falah Bakir, the head of the foreign relations department of the regional government. “We hope that there will be no clashes — the Kurdistan Regional Government has done enough to show our goodwill to Turkey.”

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/news/world/story/499817.html

[McCamy Taylor]

1. Am I the only person who sees Turkish soldiers in Iraq as a bad idea in the 1st place?

[bluerum]

3. The PPK doesn't seem to thrilled about it either. But your'e right. WTF are

they doing there in the first place? We all know that the US is the only country allowed to have military bases in Iraq.

[Lasher]

2. The Turks have had bases in Iraq since 1997?

Really? I didn't know that.

[NashVegas]

4. Here's How It Plays In BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7258323.stm

[Supersedeas]

5. nothing to see here -- but where oh where is our Sec of State??

[tchunter]

6. Turkey has a massive well trained and armed military...

Turkey has a million man standing army and the citizens have been begging for action against the PKK, i'd say that the leaders have exercised a lot of restraint considering how much the public wants blood. Interesting to see how this plays out, Turkey is a NATO ally and the Kurds are one of only unpaid allies in Iraq. I can see why turkey would militarize the borders with Iraq to stop fighters from crossing but it seems they may have ventured a little too far into kurdish territory here and might have a long trip back.

[scarface2004]

7. i m rooting for the kurds!

hope they wipe out the turks!

[fshrink]

8. It started centuries ago.

They just don't want to be assimilated. And it's not now that they above one of the world's biggest oil reserve that they gonna change their mind. Better than oil, their area also controls the flow of water in the ME.