Turks target Iraqi Kurds as US flyovers backed by parliament

THE Turkish parliament yesterday voted to open the country’s air space to US warplanes, giving concrete backing to the US-led war against Iraq, just hours after an opening blitz on its south-eastern neighbour.

In a closed-door session, the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) forced through the motion on overflight rights, saving itself from a second embarrassing defeat after deputies, in an earlier vote this month, refused to allow a massive deployment of US troops in the country for a possible attack against Iraq from the north.

The motion, which is valid for six months, also allows for the deployment of Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq where Ankara fears that local Kurds could declare an independent state.