Turkey military chief says troops ready to attack Kurds in Iraq
Earlier Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who pledged support for any military decision to stage an incursion into Iraq, said the army had not yet asked parliament for permission.
But Gen. Yasar Buyukanit said he had asked for approval during a news conference on April 12, when he said “an operation into Iraq is necessary”.
“We told both Turkey and the world on April 12 that as soldiers, we are ready,” said Buyukanit yesterday.
His remarks appeared to put Erdogan’s government under pressure to seek approval from parliament to send soldiers into Iraq to fight separatist Kurdish guerrillas. PKK rebels have long used northern Iraq as a base in their campaign for self-rule in south-east Turkey.
The US opposes unilateral Turkish military action, fearing it could destabilise northern Iraq — the calmest part of the troubled country.
Massoud Barzani, leader of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, threatened to confront Turkish soldiers if they enter northern Iraq.
Military trucks hauled more tanks and guns to the border area yesterday. For weeks, TV stations have broadcast images of military trucks rumbling along the remote border, and trains transferring tanks and guns to bolster an already formidable force in the area.
Turkey fears Iraqi Kurds could establish a Kurdish state that would inspire the rebels and revive the fighting. Turkey also is concerned Iraqi Kurds’ efforts to incorporate the oil centre of Kirkuk into their region could embolden rebels.
The Turkish military says up to 3,800 rebels are now based in Iraq, and up to 2,300 operate inside Turkey. Turkish troops have killed 14 PKK guerrillas near the border since Monday.
The conflict has killed tens of thousands of troops since the guerrillas launched a war for autonomy in the Kurdish-dominated southeast in 1984.
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