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PETRAEUS CONCERNED OVER TURKISH TENSION
By Steven R. Hurst
The Associated Press
Oct 12 2007
BAGHDAD (AP) - The top U.S. commander in Iraq warned Thursday that
Turkey's threatened incursion into Kurdish regions in the north of
the country could harm the flow of supplies for U.S. troops and damage
the Kurdish economy.
Iraqi Kurdistan, a haven of relative calm, could suddenly become
another fault line if Turkey makes good on threats to cross the
northern border in pursuit of Turkish Kurdish militants.
"We are concerned about that," Gen. David Petraeus told two
U.S. reporters in a dusty courtyard in Jadidah, a Shiite town about
25 miles north of Baghdad.
The Turkish government is preparing to ask parliament to authorize a
cross-border operation. Approval would allow the military to launch
an operation immediately or wait to see if the United States and its
Iraqi allies decide to crack down on the rebels.
"A lot our supplies come through Turkey. ... To maintain that
commercial exchange is hugely important through the border crossing
at Habur Gate. And we hope that will continue," Petraeus said.
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been fighting for autonomy in
southeast Turkey since 1984. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands
of lives. Turkey claims the rebels use Iraqi Kurdish territory as a
safe haven. Iraqi and Kurdish authorities reject the claim.
A Turkish incursion could open an delicate new front in Iraq just as
U.S. forces were seeing major gains against both Shiite and Sunni
extremists in the largely Arab sections of the county south of the
Kurdish region.
Beyond that, about 70 percent of U.S. air cargo headed for Iraq
transits Turkey, as does about one-third of the fuel used by the
U.S. military in Iraq. U.S. bases also get water and other supplies
by land from Turkish truckers who cross into the northern region of
Iraqi Kurdistan.
Iraq's Kurdish region also is heavily dependent on trade with Turkey,
which provides the region with electricity and oil products. Annual
trade at Habur gate, the main border crossing, is more than $10
billion.
Petraeus said the United States, which lists the PKK as a terrorist
organization, understood Ankara's concerns about the activities of
the militant group.
"The violence that has been undertaken by the PKK is an enormous
challenge. It's really a strategic issue. So we are again very
understanding of the concern they (the Turks) have over these
terrorists who are up in the very, very high mountains that straddle
the border there," Petraeus said
Washington is walking a classic Middle Eastern tightrope.
Turkey is a longtime NATO member and played a huge role in the Cold
War, providing the United States with military bases and listening
posts on the former Soviet Union's southern flank.
At the same time, Iraqi Kurds were Washington's key ally in the
U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam and the subsequent struggle to
quell sectarian fighting.
While Iraqi Kurds deny they allow PKK fighters sanctuary on their side
of the rugged border, Turkey has made several cross-border incursions
since the insurgency began nearly a quarter century ago.
Further complicating the puzzle, a U.S. House panel on Wednesday
approved a bill describing the World War I-era mass killings of
Armenians as genocide.
Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey, however, denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying that
the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of
civil war and unrest.
On Thursday, Turkey ordered its ambassador in Washington to return
to Turkey for consultations, an extreme sign of diplomatic displeasure.
Petraeus was in Jadidah, a Shiite town that suffered greatly under
attacks by Sunni militants and al-Qaida in Iraq, to showcase the
decrease in violence after local people joined the police force and
U.S. troops cleared the area.
He strolled the dusty streets like a politician on the campaign trail,
hoisting toddlers, handing out a soccer ball and dropping by a small
grocery to buy cream-filled cakes.
The top general played heavily on the Ramadan theme, the holy month
when Muslims do not eat, drink, smoke or engage in sex between dawn
and sundown.
In Arabic greetings, he wished everyone a blessed Eid, the three days
of feasting that follows the fast, which ends Friday for Sunnis and
Saturday for Shiites.
The people complained to Petraeus that there was no electricity
and they had to bring water in by truck. He took careful note and
questioned his subordinate officers about projects under way to solve
the town's problems.
In Baghdad, U.S. military authorities announced a rocket attack on
Camp Victory a day earlier had killed two members of the U.S.-led
coalition and wounded 40 other people on the sprawling base near
Baghdad's airport. It is headquarters of American forces in Iraq.
"We know, precisely where it came from. In fact we found a number of
other rockets there. And we do have some very strong leads as well.
We believed it was 107mm rockets," Petraeus said.
A senior officer said the rockets were fired an abandoned school near
the base. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was
not authorized to release the information.
Most troops stationed at the base are American but there are small
contingents from other countries.
The military said those wounded in Wednesday's attack included two
"third country nationals," meaning they were not Americans or Iraqis.
Suicide car bombers, meanwhile, struck a market in the northern city
of Kirkuk and a cafe in eastern Baghdad as at least 30 Iraqis were
killed or found dead in attacks nationwide.
The U.S. military said a soldier died in combat Wednesday in eastern
Baghdad.
By Steven R. Hurst
The Associated Press
Oct 12 2007
BAGHDAD (AP) - The top U.S. commander in Iraq warned Thursday that
Turkey's threatened incursion into Kurdish regions in the north of
the country could harm the flow of supplies for U.S. troops and damage
the Kurdish economy.
Iraqi Kurdistan, a haven of relative calm, could suddenly become
another fault line if Turkey makes good on threats to cross the
northern border in pursuit of Turkish Kurdish militants.
"We are concerned about that," Gen. David Petraeus told two
U.S. reporters in a dusty courtyard in Jadidah, a Shiite town about
25 miles north of Baghdad.
The Turkish government is preparing to ask parliament to authorize a
cross-border operation. Approval would allow the military to launch
an operation immediately or wait to see if the United States and its
Iraqi allies decide to crack down on the rebels.
"A lot our supplies come through Turkey. ... To maintain that
commercial exchange is hugely important through the border crossing
at Habur Gate. And we hope that will continue," Petraeus said.
The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) has been fighting for autonomy in
southeast Turkey since 1984. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands
of lives. Turkey claims the rebels use Iraqi Kurdish territory as a
safe haven. Iraqi and Kurdish authorities reject the claim.
A Turkish incursion could open an delicate new front in Iraq just as
U.S. forces were seeing major gains against both Shiite and Sunni
extremists in the largely Arab sections of the county south of the
Kurdish region.
Beyond that, about 70 percent of U.S. air cargo headed for Iraq
transits Turkey, as does about one-third of the fuel used by the
U.S. military in Iraq. U.S. bases also get water and other supplies
by land from Turkish truckers who cross into the northern region of
Iraqi Kurdistan.
Iraq's Kurdish region also is heavily dependent on trade with Turkey,
which provides the region with electricity and oil products. Annual
trade at Habur gate, the main border crossing, is more than $10
billion.
Petraeus said the United States, which lists the PKK as a terrorist
organization, understood Ankara's concerns about the activities of
the militant group.
"The violence that has been undertaken by the PKK is an enormous
challenge. It's really a strategic issue. So we are again very
understanding of the concern they (the Turks) have over these
terrorists who are up in the very, very high mountains that straddle
the border there," Petraeus said
Washington is walking a classic Middle Eastern tightrope.
Turkey is a longtime NATO member and played a huge role in the Cold
War, providing the United States with military bases and listening
posts on the former Soviet Union's southern flank.
At the same time, Iraqi Kurds were Washington's key ally in the
U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam and the subsequent struggle to
quell sectarian fighting.
While Iraqi Kurds deny they allow PKK fighters sanctuary on their side
of the rugged border, Turkey has made several cross-border incursions
since the insurgency began nearly a quarter century ago.
Further complicating the puzzle, a U.S. House panel on Wednesday
approved a bill describing the World War I-era mass killings of
Armenians as genocide.
Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by
Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed
by genocide scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey, however, denies the deaths constituted genocide, saying that
the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of
civil war and unrest.
On Thursday, Turkey ordered its ambassador in Washington to return
to Turkey for consultations, an extreme sign of diplomatic displeasure.
Petraeus was in Jadidah, a Shiite town that suffered greatly under
attacks by Sunni militants and al-Qaida in Iraq, to showcase the
decrease in violence after local people joined the police force and
U.S. troops cleared the area.
He strolled the dusty streets like a politician on the campaign trail,
hoisting toddlers, handing out a soccer ball and dropping by a small
grocery to buy cream-filled cakes.
The top general played heavily on the Ramadan theme, the holy month
when Muslims do not eat, drink, smoke or engage in sex between dawn
and sundown.
In Arabic greetings, he wished everyone a blessed Eid, the three days
of feasting that follows the fast, which ends Friday for Sunnis and
Saturday for Shiites.
The people complained to Petraeus that there was no electricity
and they had to bring water in by truck. He took careful note and
questioned his subordinate officers about projects under way to solve
the town's problems.
In Baghdad, U.S. military authorities announced a rocket attack on
Camp Victory a day earlier had killed two members of the U.S.-led
coalition and wounded 40 other people on the sprawling base near
Baghdad's airport. It is headquarters of American forces in Iraq.
"We know, precisely where it came from. In fact we found a number of
other rockets there. And we do have some very strong leads as well.
We believed it was 107mm rockets," Petraeus said.
A senior officer said the rockets were fired an abandoned school near
the base. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he was
not authorized to release the information.
Most troops stationed at the base are American but there are small
contingents from other countries.
The military said those wounded in Wednesday's attack included two
"third country nationals," meaning they were not Americans or Iraqis.
Suicide car bombers, meanwhile, struck a market in the northern city
of Kirkuk and a cafe in eastern Baghdad as at least 30 Iraqis were
killed or found dead in attacks nationwide.
The U.S. military said a soldier died in combat Wednesday in eastern
Baghdad.