Bush ok's bombing attacks on Kurds

[Lemon law]

To MadRat,

We may be arguing at cross purposes about the communistic agenda of the PKK, but I will totally agree that the PKK end objective is a Kurdish State and such a Kurdish State is a huge pee in their pants worry to Turkey especially. And such worries can easily ignite regional wars.

In terms of Lawrence of Arabia, we can argue at cross purposes about which group he made the most extravagant promises to, but the Kurds are sill stinting over the betrayal. With substantial group of Kurds still hoping for their own State while others arguing its still not possible. But the Kurds have not had it this good in 70 years and they are daily gaining more oil revenues that could finance the arms to form their own State.

And all these political tensions were released when GWB invaded Iraq. We can hope we dodge these tensions, but its all part and parcel to what we won in Iraq when GWB rushed in where angels fear to thread. In Iraq, we are not in USA anymore and USA rules no longer apply.

 

[maluckey]

We on ATPN need to separate the PKK from the Kurds. the PKK represent the Kurds about as much as the KKK represents the state of Arkansas. Sure, they have supporters, but the majority of citizens just want them to go away.

As far as Turkey and the PKK...Turkey has been fighting the PKK since the CF took the area under CF control. The Iraqis and CF have been providing intelligence to them from day one. The only reason that Turkey went public with the fact is to demoralize the PKK, who fully understand what that means to their success rate in cross border attacks.

The massed Turkish troops aren't a threat to the CF, so much as a show of force for the PKK and Kurdistan to convince them to back down and start playing nice. Of course it's funny how the Kurds can't get their act together long enough to vote on Article 140, but appear (at least to Turkey) to be a threat to Turkey.

Maybe Turkey hasn't caught on that the CF don't truly support an independant Kurdistan as much as the CF want them to believe it.

 

[Oric]

PKK is a terrorist organization, recognized so by USA and EU ... It is not the Kurdish Population at the target but terrorist camps on Gabar and Kandil mountains. Turkey has not intervened by her Army but only thru air force acting on intelligence provided (to a degree) by United States. This is a good example of two nations acting together to fight International terrorism. If the Iraqi government and Kurdish Autonomous region can control and expel PKK from N.Iraq there will be no need for further bombing

 

[Lemon law]

There are huge division among Kurds on forming their own State. Almost 100% would if they could and almost 100% also know their chances are unlikely to ever be as good as they are now for the foreseeable future.

But the more rational majority hold back because they know leaving the Iraqi orbit would result in a bloodbath they would lose. Which is exactly the danger of the PKK who are seeking that forced split.

I am especially struck by this quote by Hayabusa Rider---That doesn't mean that the PKK will be easy to eliminate, however Turkey doesn't need to make war, nor really wants to. Instead it will use the military in a police action removing perpetrators as they find them. There is virtually no chance of them becoming mired in something they cannot withdraw from.

Its easy to say Turkey will have the brains to avoid a quagmire they can't withdraw from--but given the quagmire in Iraq we are mired in and the Vietnam we were mired in,
once the military option is used, the conflicts sometimes drive themselves and brains are forgotten.

I hope it does not happen, but already the Turks are putting boots on Iraqi soil that could result in being ambushed by PKK fighters. Or the PKK may resume bloody terrorism in Turkey proper. And once we have a few hundred Turkish deaths, bloody shirts do get waved around and public opinion is hard to ignore.