Hmmm.........premptive strikes are becoming the "in thing" this year.
http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=GEOSTRATEGY-DIRECT+turkey&page=1&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D12f76af829574ec7%26clickedItemRank%3D1%26userQuery%3DGEOSTRATEGY-DIRECT%2Bturkey%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.geostrategy-direct.com%252Fgeostrategy-direct%252F%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DNSCPResults%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%
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GEOSTRATEGY-DIRECT INTELLIGENCE BRIEF
Turkey warns of plan to invade Iraq
Military calls for massive operation into Kurdish region
Turkey's military has begun preparing for what officials warned could
result in
a major invasion of neighboring Iraq, reports Geostrategy-Direct, the
global
intelligence news service.
Officials said the Turkish General Staff has drafted plans for an
invasion by
at least 20,000 troops into northern Iraq in early 2005. They said the
General
Staff has urged approval from the government of Prime Minister Recep
Erdogan
and discussed the proposed invasion with the United States.
"The current phase is to show the United States that we're serious," a
Turkish
government source said. "After the Iraqi elections in January, the
Turkish
military will be ready to move."
The military has called for a massive operation in northern Iraq to
prevent
Kurdish militias from controlling the area. The General Staff has been
particularly alarmed by the reported Kurdish effort to drive out
ethnic Turks
from Kirkuk, the oil capital of northern Iraq and long claimed by
Ankara.
Under the Turkish plan, the military would deploy at least 20,000
Turkish
troops in an enclave south of the Iraqi-Turkish border. The force
would focus
on eliminating the Kurdish Workers Party and ensure the return of
Turkmens to
Kirkuk.
About 3,000 PKK fighters are said to be based in northern Iraq and
have been
sending insurgents and weaponry for attacks inside neighboring Turkey.
The United States has refused numerous Turkish appeals to eliminate
the PKK
strongholds.
On Oct. 14 Erdogan and his cabinet reviewed the General Staff's plan.
That
meeting, attended by Chief of Staff Gen. Hilmi Ozkok and Defense
Minister Vecdi
Gonul, discussed the rapid deployment of up to 40,000 troops in
northern Iraq.
A scaled-down version of the military plan was discussed in the
national
security council on Oct. 27. The officials said that over the last
week some
units have already been deployed along the Iraqi-Turkish border.
Officials said the General Staff has sought to prepare two army
divisions to
cross the Iraqi border within 18 hours of any approval of the
operation.
The first goal of the ground operation, supported by fighter-jets and
attack
helicopters, would be to destroy PKK strongholds in the Kandil
mountains in
northern Iraq.
The General Staff has warned the cabinet that Ankara could no longer
ignore the
Kurdish threat. Officials said the military has determined that Kurds
from Iran
and Syria have bolstered support for the PKK.
Iranian and Syrian Kurds, they said, have participated in PKK attacks
against
police and military targets in southeastern Turkey over the last week.
Officials said the General Staff has sought to obtain U.S. approval
for the
operation in northern Iraq. But Washington has not provided implicit
approval.
The Erdogan government has sought to delay any Turkish military
operation until
after the European Union summit on Dec. 17. The government intends to
spare the
EU any pretext to delay a date for accession.
Officials said the Peshmerga are digging tunnels and establishing
outposts
outside Dahouk, near the Turkish border.
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| User: "R. Foreman" |
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| Title: Re: Turkey warns of plan to invade Iraq |
13 Nov 2004 02:07:51 AM |
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(jha_amin) Spat the Words
Hmmm.........premptive strikes are becoming the "in thing" this year.
GEOSTRATEGY-DIRECT INTELLIGENCE BRIEF
Turkey warns of plan to invade Iraq
Military calls for massive operation into Kurdish region
What Hey, Might Makes Right. That's a Roman thing. If you're
the victor you can write the history and all you need is a
little spin.
.
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