Turkish forces in Iraq? Good or Bad?

What's your take on this? I don't know what to think, really. I don't like the idea of more conflict starting in that area of the world, and I think it would hurt the U.S military's limited control over the area. I kind of see this erupting into a lot of bloodshed, and then the U.S. is going to have to send some of it's troops up there to clean up the mess.

Viewpoints? (I'm not be any means posing as an expert on stuff like this, it just concerns me, that's all.)

 

From all I have heard this could very well be very bad. In Iraq that northern section is currently the most peacefull this will most certainly change all that. Course, I am no expert on it either and frankly have been avoiding even watching it any more as the whole thing seems a dismal mess.

 

The Turks have been itching to get in there and sock it to the Kurds. Turkey doesn't exactly have a stellar record when it comes to human rights and this would fit right in with their agenda to get rid of the Kurds.

Of course much of this is made possible by Bush and his cronies. That the Bush/Rummy/Cheney trio cooked up the cozy little war on terror as an excuse to run roughshod over anyone and everyone... many other governments have followed suit. China uses exactly this excuse to oppress their uppity minorities. Every time anyone needs an excuse to step in get heavy handed with anyone... they immediately label them as terrorists.

My my my how convenient, predictable and American.

 

How thick can you get? If the Turks wanted to "sock it to the Kurds" why not participate in the War of Continuation in 2003? Turkey would have troops on the ground and could use the occupation to hunt down and shoot the Communists/PKK?

Conflict in the Middle East? How long did has this been going on? No doubt George Bush used the Haliburton Time Machine to go back in time to invent violence in the Middle East.

The Turks do not need an "excuse". This fight did not start yesterday; their fight with the PKK predates the "GWoT" by several decades. Turkey is conducting raids into communist bases in Northern Iraq, just as they have for many, many years, even before Bush II became President.

 

I know the military doesn't want the Turks to start anything. Hopefully they will back down if we put pressure on them...of course our armed forces are psread quite thin...and with the talks about Iran, and now this....ugh...our boys can only do so much...and the nut jobs leading them aren't exactly making this easy.

 

The thing is, how can the US and UK oppose Turkey. Kurdish fighters have attacked Turkey. Iraq hadn't even attacked the UK or the US and we invaded.

 

Yes, but they had weapons of mass oil, I mean destruction...

 

Don't forget there was an imminent threat of a 45 minute strike. I can't be certain if that's oil or postal workers though.

 

Turkey would be playing a dangerous game, for all they know the Iraqi government might want to try out this new army that they have raised. The US wont get involved militarily, they aint that stoopid. Military campaign against Turkey = unthinkable.

I understand why the Turks want to go in though, they have a far greater reason for invading Iraq than the US/UK ever did and the US Congress screwing up diplomatic relations by stirring up the Armenian Genocide business didn't help. I mean could they have picked a worse time? Seems the republican party doesn't have a monopoly on moronic behaviour in US politics.

 

Because it's the Turks and Kurds not the Russians and the Fins.

Sigh... yet again... you jump in and blab about something it's obvious you haven't given much thought to or know very little about... or both.

Did you somehow think that the US war in Iraq was open season rubber stamp for the Turkey to invade Iraq and well and hunt down the Kurds in Iraqi territory?

How do you think that'd have washed with the US or the Kurds both of who had vested interests in the US being able to operate out of Kurdish dominated territory at the time in Iraq?

Big hint. Not very well.

Myopic much?

No excuse huh?
Then why have they not out an out launched a formal invasion of Iraq to subdue the Kurds? Why have the not just rolled in and held major positions in Kurdish held Iraqi territory? Why have the not done more than small scale snatch and on-off operations in Kurdish held Iraqi territory.

Seriously. Do your homework before you come to the table. Otherwise you just look foolish.

 

I was just thinking the same.
It is in the best interest of U.S. to have a good relationship with Turks because of their geographic possition with Iraq.

 

This is a huge problem for the coalition (which principally means for the USA.)

On the one hand, the relative stability of Kurdish northern Iraq is the only positive thing in the whole mess that is Iraq, and the last thing they need is Turkey coming in and destabalising the area.

On the other hand, as long as Turkey is crucial to their strategic interests then they have to keep on kissing Turkey's ****.

Turkey is currently smarting over the decision by some American congressional committee or other to condemn them for the Armenian genocide during WWI, and I think they will expect the US administration to cut them some slack in Kurdistan in return. But to most neutrals, the fact that Turkey won't acknowledge the fact that the Armenian genocide even took place is another great reason why a rogue state like that should NOT be allowed to do even more harm to the Kurdish people than they already have.

 

I think this is the point where Iraq really does become another Vietnam. The Americans will have to maintain a presence in northern Iraq now on an indefinite basis. The turks have had troops massed on that border for decades. They're just waiting to take the north.

 

lol, the Turks aren't looking to conquer a chunk of Iraq, that would screw up their EU membership and for what? They just want the Kurds to stop taking day trips into southern Turkey and murdering their people.

 

Look the lepricons told me!

Seriously though, Turkey has already threatened to invade northern Iraq if the Kurdish people try to establish an independent state. The reason being part of what the Kurds call Kurdistan is in southern Turkey. The claim the Kurds make is Kurds in souther Turkey have been persecuted by Turkey for decades. And if the Palestinians can have their own country they want one too.

This is basically a massive hang over from previous conflicts in the area fought in the interests of the west and reignited by the invasion of Iraq.

 

Yeah, I agree, but all of the aggression is on the side of the Kurds, irrespective of whether their claim to southern Turkey is fair or not, Turkey has a duty to protect its people, and if the only way they can do that is to go in and hunt the rebels down then that is what they are going to do. They have been kept in check by their close ties with the US, but now congress has screwed that up.

Turkey is not going to give up a piece of land however big or small for a Kurdistan state, but they are not going to allow the Kurds to go on committing acts of violence within Turkey then fleeing back to the safety of Northern Iraq. Frankly I have nothing but sympathy for the Turks on this one, they are in a lose/lose situation. Go in and the US and the EU are going to go crazy, dont go in and the electorate are going to go crazy.

 

I'm not saying it's right or it's wrong. It's just the reality Turkey made clear before the invasion of Iraq.

 

-9/11 happened and the U.S. had a reason to go into Afganistan and then proceed to Iraq.
-Kurd terrorists attack Turkey, Turks have a reason to go attack them back in N. Iraq

Why is the U.S. invasion more acceptable when there is no concrete proof that Iraq ever attacked U.S?

 

No, not that Iraq had a hand in 9/11 but the War of Continuation was continued as kindly Uncle Saddam did not comply with the terms of his surrender.

slip, yet again you insult me to make up for anyone who differs in an opinion. It's not working, yet again.

 

slip, Turkey is being simply being careful. If they wanted into Kurdistan they could have demanded to come along with the Ivy when it was scheduled to come through the north of Iraq. Turkey wants limited action against the PKK and not all of Kurdistan and is showing restraint.

How is it "myopic" to state that Middle East violence has been going on far longer than the War of Continuation in Iraq? The current bloodshed in Iraq did not start Turkey's battle against the PKK.

If you claim my opinions are offbase, then fine, but to state they are unstudied is arrogant in the extreme.