Foreign Troops On The Border Worry Iraq

The Associated Press reports Iraqi President Talabani is concerned about ian and Turkish troop concentrations on those countries' borders with Iraq:

Turkey has moved thousands of troops to the border region in what its military said was an offensive against Turkish Kurd guerrillas.

also reportedly has moved forces to the border, and last week shelled a mountainous region inside Iraq used by ian Kurd fighters for infiltration into , according to Iraqi Kurd officials. No casualties were reported from Friday's artillery and rocket barrage.

According to the Cihan News Agency, at a news briefing Talabani addressed reports that Turkey is preparing to conduct operations within Iraqi borders, said:

There is no trans-border operation; Turkey is conducting operations within its own borders for the moment as far as we know. However, we oppose Turkey conducting any operation within Iraq’s borders. I do not think the US will accept this either.

Last week the Washington Times published an article providing some background on the Kurds push for autonomy which is likely the reason for the troublesome troop concentrations:

The problem of the Kurds, a tormented nation-tribe deprived of statehood throughout its history, also affects Turkey's neighbors , Iraq and Syria, where an estimated 10 million Kurds live.

[. . .]

To the Turkish government, the creation of a semiautonomous Kurdish administration in northern Iraq has brought the specter of autonomy for Turkey's Kurdish population.

[. . .]

In recent weeks, suicide bombers have appeared in the conflict, which since the 1980s has claimed an estimated 37,000 lives in the war between the Turkish army and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), regarded by Turkey, the United States and the European Union as a terrorist organization.

Hardly a day goes by without rioting and clashes in the mountains, where Kurdish fighters are reportedly supplied with weapons from Iraq. The victims include Kurdish guerrillas and an increasing number of Turkish soldiers.

I'm not sure how much to make of this. Any overt cross-border operations into Iraq by or Turkey would certainly cause al sorts of unanticipated consequences.

Comments

[McAristotle]

Well, this is why the Kurds are supportive of a federal system.
The US has probably hinted that if its on its own against US wishes. Its on its own versus Turkey and versus Shiite claims on Kirkuk.

As to PKK harassing Iran...are you sure the US wants to stop that?

If Iran loses its North - so what?

If it attacks Iraq, that's legitimacy for US retaliation, just as the Iraq invasion of Kuwait was a red flag under international law

If anything Iran has to be confrontational because it knows that once the US is no longer busy in Iraq, the Iraqi Kurdish and Shiite populations would be supportive of a popular revolt
by Iranian Kurds or Shiites against the existing regime.

[Willik]

Now may be the time for the US to show the Turks that "paybacks are a b**ch."
The Turkish actions during the lead up to "Iraqi Freedom" cost us billions in re-deployment costs and should have some consequences.