Iraqi FM Claims Turkey Amassing 140,000 Troops Along Border

[FourScore]

Iraqi FM: Turkey massing 140,000 troops
By BUSHRA JUHI, Associated Press Writer
43 minutes ago

BAGHDAD - Turkey has massed 140,000 soldiers on its border with northern Iraq, Iraq's foreign minister said Monday, calling the neighboring country's fears of Kurdish rebels based there "legitimate" but better resolved through negotiation.

The Turkish military had no comment to the remarks by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd from northern Iraq, and it was unclear where he got the figures. If they are accurate, Turkey would have nearly as many soldiers along its border with Iraq as the 155,000 troops which the U.S. has in the country.

Zebari's comments came amid calls by Turkey's military for the government to give it the green light to carry out military operations in northern Iraqi against the rebel Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.

"Turkey is building up forces on the border. There are 140,000 soldiers fully armed on the border. We are against any military interference or violation of Iraqi sovereignty," Zebari said in Baghdad...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070709/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_turkey

[FourScore]

1. It is unfathonable to me

that this thread is dropping off the page and only 9 people here at DU have even LOOKED at it. Wow. Maybe I should have thrown Cindy Sheehan into the title somewhere.

[Cooley Hurd]

2. kick

:hi:

[yodermon]

3. This could be huge, people,

kick.

[roamer65]

4. Turkey is the true "wild card" in the Iraq equation.

I think they will invade and it will set off a regional ME war. The pot is on "simmer" right now, and a Turkish invasion will bring it to "boil".

[FourScore]

7. Exactly. n/t

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. Wasn't this said just a few weeks ago?

IIRC, it started another firestorm of uh-oh! and was quelled within a day or two. :shrug: (getting old and memory's not what it used to be though) Seems that the 'masses' that were accumulating were doing so independent of the Turkish gov't ... or something...

If this is the case though, Condi's going to go screaming out of the WH with her hands flailing wildly.

[Bright Eyes]

6. hmm....Amassing 140,000 troops along the border

of Iraq...when have we seen THAT before

kick

[SpiralHawk]

8. "I've really made a mess of things. As usual. Smirk, smirk, smirk." - Commander AWOL

"The silver lining in this is that all the carnage will necessitate more munitions, and that means MASSIVE PROFITS for my republicon cronies. Smirk, smirk, smirk."

- Commander AWOL

[Rhiannon12866]

9. K&R. Thanks for posting this important story!

You might want to cross-post in LBN, if it's not already there...

[robinlynne]

10. my God, the Iraqi people have suffered more than anyone should ever have to suffer.