What if: The Kurds and Turks start fighting...

[Pekka]

Turkey is a big country with power, I think their justification for this and keeping Kurds under leash in general is disgusting. Turkey can handle the situation without killing Kurds. It's outrageous. If Turkey can attack N. Iraq and is not part of the coalition of the willing, then what does this mean? Now anyone can attack Iraq? Is Iraq now free zone where everyone can release their pressures? Who is looking out Kurds? No one has their back, I only hope the US really really looks out for them and doesn't let other countries mess with them.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

It won't happen. I know that's not in th spirit of a "what if" thread, but it does give me a chance to propound my latest theory about this. Right now, all of Turkey is aghast that the US has stopped asking for its help, and the government is being pilloried in the press for having blown the negotiations with the US and ending up empty-handed. My theory is that the troop movements are a form of extortion, a kind of "hey, Uncle Sam, that's a real nice war you got there; it would be a shame if anything happened to it..." If the Turks are trying, in this outrageously inaproppriate manner, to get the US back to the table, I wouldn't be a bit surprised.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Pekka
Turkey is a big country with power, I think their justification for this and keeping Kurds under leash in general is disgusting. Turkey can handle the situation without killing Kurds. It's outrageous. If Turkey can attack N. Iraq and is not part of the coalition of the willing, then what does this mean? Now anyone can attack Iraq? Is Iraq now free zone where everyone can release their pressures? Who is looking out Kurds? No one has their back, I only hope the US really really looks out for them and doesn't let other countries mess with them.

C'mon, Pekka. If you're right, then Turkey is just invoking the Bush Doctrine: that one country can pre-emptorally attack another if it perceives that that country may pose a future threat. The Turks feel threatened by a free Kurdish population; following Bush's logic, the time to go get them is now.

[GePap]

Current news state that the Turks deny having moved in.

The Kurds have yet to do much, including much that would get the Tursk really fired up, like makng a dash for Kirkut or Mosul. If the US can secure those locations and assure the Turks that they are not in Kurdish hands, fighting could be avoided. If not, then I do the the Turks really coming in.

As for what it would mean? mainly, it would undermine the US "victory" in Iraq, while complicating US_Turkey relations and thus another chink in NATO.

[CerberusIV]

I noticed a story on the BBC website that cruise missiles had been fired at territory in northern Iraq held by an extremist islamic group linked to Al-Q and suggesting that the Kurds would act with US special forces to take this group out. If so, the US stands to get more help from the Kurds than the Turks.

[Bereta_Eder]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
The Turks feel threatened by a free Kurdish population;

They should give them their independance. Kurds are a significant part of the turkish population. Then they won't be afraid of them.


Go Kurds. We did it you can too

[Pekka]

Rufus, I agree with you in to some extent, not 100%

[Urban Ranger]

No surprise, since the Kurds are very likely to hope for Uncle Sam assisting in the future. Just like those Eastern European countries.

[Proteus_MST]

Originally posted by paiktis22

They should give them their independance. Kurds are a significant part of the turkish population. Then they won't be afraid of them.

Go Kurds. We did it you can too

Yes, thats what the turks have nightmares about.

That an Independent Kurdistan within Iraq would lead to the Kurds within Turkey also demanding Indepenence.

[TheBirdMan]

Re: What if: The Kurds and Turks start fighting...

Originally posted by Lancer
The Kurds and Turks start fighting...

Then US would have at least one problem more!

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Proteus_MST


Yes, thats what the turks have nightmares about.

That an Independent Kurdistan within Iraq would lead to the Kurds within Turkey also demanding Indepenence.

Exactly. one thing that continues to amaze me is that the turks still haven't gotten over their War of Independence, when Turkey was invaded by 3 Great Powers (UK, France, Italy) and one pissant country with delusions of grandeur (sorry, paiktis ), and beat them all back to the seas (well, the UK just tactfully withdrew, but you get the idea; in fact, when the Turks were negotiating with the US about using bases, one condition was that they would never allow British soldiers back into the country ). Since then, the Turks have made an absolute fetish out of territorial intergrity; this is why they've been such complete bastards about Cyprus, and it's why they would never, ever let the Kurds carve an independent state out of Turkish territory.

[Bereta_Eder]

_one pissant country with delusions of grandeur (sorry, paiktis


No problem Rufus

[Bereta_Eder]

however in 2020 when Kurds will make 40% of the turkish population, we'll see what could happen.

(btw we were probably the only onces with legitimate concers about asia minor (greek populations there, and dont forget the asianminor distaster or the back stabbing we too received, but it was too much of a stretch - although we did capture half of turkey and went all the way to ankara )

[Willem]

Originally posted by Anun Ik Oba
1500 Turkish troops move into N. Iraq.

I've heard though that there are another 12,000 or so just across the border.

[Willem]

Originally posted by Azazel
Currently, both the Turks and the Kurds deny any entrance of Turkish forces.

But Turkey has said they will be sending them in there.