There have been some developments in the burgeoning crisis between Turkey and the PKK, Kurdish nationalist separatists who’ve been mounting attacks against the Turks for decades. The Turks have made up their minds:
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey’s president said Tuesday his country “has decided” on how to proceed against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq and had informed the United States.
The U.S. and Iraq have been pressing Turkey to avoid a major cross-border attack on Kurdish Workers’ Party, or PKK, rebel bases in northern Iraq out of fear such an incursion would bring instability to what has been one of the calmest areas in Iraq.
President Abdullah Gul did not specify what decision had been made regarding an attack, but made clear that Turkey feels that the PKK is leading to instability in the region itself.
“Iraq’s stability cannot be limited to fighting terrorism in Baghdad or other regions,” he said. “The terrorist organization in the north is also disrupting Iraq’s stability.”
I suspect that the nature of the Turkish government’s decision will become apparent soon.
Meanwhile, The Independent quotes Osman Ocalan, brother of the imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, as saying that the PKK is already decamping into Iran in anticipation of Turkish raids:
Turkish Kurd guerrillas are leaving Iraqi Kurdistan for Iran in order to avoid an attack by the Turkish army according to a former leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party, the PKK.
Osman Ocalan, brother of the imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, said: “the PKK has decreased its forces in Iraqi Kurdistan and they are moving to Iran. It is part of PKK tactics that when they feel pressure in one country they move to another.”
President George Bush and the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are to meet today in Washington to discuss what can be done about the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan, from which it has been staging attacks on Turkish army units.
The news that the PKK is moving its mobile fighters into Iranian Kurdistan – where they have escalated attacks on Iranian government forces – further complicates any action against the guerrillas.
Iraqi blogger 24 Steps to Liberty observes astutely:
Now, the Turkish, Iraqi and American governments have passed three different messages to the Iraqi Kurds, separately.
Turkish message was: We have the force to destroy your stability. We can use it when we want, especially when you are alone.
U.S. message was: We are not going to protect you against Turkey, our NATO ally. You have to find someone else to back you up.
The Iraqi government message was: Well, that’s what’s going to happen when you are on your own. Are you still thinking about having your own separate state?
What Turkey faces in northern Iraq is the same problem that is plaguing security efforts in western Iraq, in Pakistan, and, indeed, in the Caucasus. In the absence of strong central governments (strong not interpreted as despotic but as capable) trying to clamp down on terrorists is like juggling Jello. Ungoverned territories are not our friends.
