Turkey Invading Iraq Against US Orders
So Turkey is invading northern Iraq, conveniently close to their arch-enemies, the Kurds, who meanwhile are in a defensive posture facing off against both the Iraqis and the Turks. The Turks have been warned by the US not to invade Iraq, but since the new Bush Doctrine has made the invasion of any country you like “legal”, the US position seems churlish at best. Colin Powell has denied there was some backroom deal for a Turkish seizure of northern Iraq (and more importantly, Kirkuk and its oil) in return for US overflight, but we’ll see… I think any Turkish entry to the EU is looking increasingly delayed!
Turkey sees Kurdish control of Kirkuk as unacceptable, both because it would strengthen Kurdish autonomy in a new Iraq and because they see the city’s rightful owners as the Turkmen minority, which has a long history of conflict with the Kurds. Even after Turkey’s parliament agreed to allow the U.S. the right to use Turkish airspace, negotiations at the executive level broke down over disagreements between Washington and Ankara over Turkey’s role in northern Iraq, suggesting that the potential for violent clashes between Turkish and Kurdish forces remains high. And that creates an incentive for the U.S. to take control of the most prized piece of real estate in that conflict.
Apparently, Turkey was tying its support for US troops to its own invasion plans for Northern Iraq, but the Turks themselves are denying any incursions.