Iraq: Turkey Just Started Bombing The Shit Out Of Us
Jul 18 02:55 PM US/Eastern
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD (AP) - The Iraqi government said Turkish artillery and warplanes bombarded areas of northern Iraq on Wednesday and called on Turkey to stop military operations and resort to dialogue.
The claim occurred amid rising tension and Turkish threats to strike bases of the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK, which has been launching attacks against targets in Turkey from sanctuaries in Iraq.
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh told The Associated Press that the morning bombardment struck areas of the northern province of Dahuk, some 260 miles northwest of Baghdad.
Col. Hussein Kamal said about 250 shells were fired into Iraq from Turkey. He added that there were no casualties on the Iraqi side of the border.
“We have received reports that the Turkish government and the Turkish army have bombed border villages. The Iraqi government regrets the Turkish military operations of artillery and warplanes bombing against border cities and towns,” al-Dabbagh said.
“The Iraqi government calls for ceasing these operations and resorting to dialogue,” he said, insisting that Iraq wants “good relations with Turkey.”
Earlier Wednesday, Kurdish guerrillas staged a bomb attack against a military vehicle, killing two soldiers and wounding six others near the Iraqi border, the state-run Anatolia news agency said.
The attack occurred close to the Iraqi border, near the town of Cukurca in Hakkari province, Anatolia said. Military helicopters flew the injured to hospitals as military units in the region launched an operation to hunt down the attackers, it said.
Last week, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Turkey had massed 140,000 soldiers along the border—a figure the U.S. disputed. Zebari said troop levels in the region were often increased during the spring and summer in response to increased activity by PKK.
U.S. officials cast doubt on the figure.
Turkish officials have repeatedly said they are considering military operations against the PKK in Iraq, a move that the United States fears would cause further instability.
Al-Dabbagh said the Iraqi government is ready either for bilateral talks or three-way talks that will include the United States. He added that the PKK matter is not new but years-old.
“We have said before that we will not allow Iraq to become a launching pad for operations against Turkey or any other country,” al-Dabbagh said.
Washington says it is working with Turkey to combat the PKK but that it is focused on combatting insurgents opposing U.S. forces.
The PKK has escalated attacks this year, killing about 70 soldiers so far. More than 110 rebels were killed in the same period.
Turkey has been battling the PKK since 1984 in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people.
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Turkey keeps trying to grab northern Iraq by doing stuff like this, then claiming the Kurds started it.
July 18th, 2007 at 12:29 pmAnd to think we actually thought they were our allies and that they were going to let part of our forces enter into Iraq from their sorry country…
It is to laugh!
Knowing the Kurds, who are tough, hard-fighting bastards, they won’t the let get very far.
What a shitshow. I’m sure the leftists will blame us for this too.
July 18th, 2007 at 12:55 pmThe PKK is everyone’s problem. They are comprised of communists and Kurds who want a “Kurdistan”. They are a separate entity and should be disbanded, arrested, they can start something but not big enough to end it. If Iraq wants peace with Turkey better break this up.
July 18th, 2007 at 2:39 pmIntx
I think your comment was on the money. It would seem that many can only see their own little tree in the forest of humanity.
July 18th, 2007 at 3:27 pmThis whole Turkey-Kurd thing started long ago. It was back in Ottomon times. Around the time of WWII I believe, when Turkey conducted an ethnic cleansing program that Saddam would be proud of.
The PKK and other Kurds are still getting even. So are the Turks. This is a fight that the U.S. might be able to mediate.
If the Turks want peace then they should at laest stop meddling in Kurdish affairs. And the Kurds, if they want peace should stop killing Turks.
Otherwise, it will take US troops to stop the Turks.
The Turks are pretty good. But not as good as we are.
In any event, here’s a war that we should try and stop.
July 18th, 2007 at 4:21 pmThe Turks were on our left in Korea. Filthy buggers, only the lowest “Business Girls” would have anything to do with them. Tough shits tho.
Aside: That is one crummy lookin’ howitzer.
July 18th, 2007 at 6:26 pmthe governing authorities of kurdistan have taken a hands off policy with the PKK and now they are raising the agitation on turkey because of this. Turkey is justified in wanting to take action. the kurds need to convince the PPK that their actions are hurting any prospect of country of kurdistan and should put off their fight until major hostilities in Iraq have settled, or focus their energies on protecting kurdistan from alqaeda.
July 19th, 2007 at 3:54 am