BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq

Subject: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 08:13 AM

Apparently, the offensive began w/air and artillery bombardment, and the BBC is reporting thousands of Turkish troops have boots on the ground in Iraq.

Oh goody, just what we needed. A new front in the war on the enemies of our friends--oh sorry, terrorism. Yes, that's it. The war on terrorism. If you want to "fight terrorism and win" it looks like Iraq is the destination of choice if you are friends of the US in the 'war on terrorism'.

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: jacqui.c
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 08:24 AM

The Turks and the Kurds have been going at each other since long before 9.11. I would doubt that this is an incursion either encouraged or wanted by anyone else.

Here's the report.

I would guess, as well, that Turkey is concerned about the possibility of a state of Kurdistan being established as this would lead to further dissension by the Turkish Kurds to have their part of Turkey added to that new state.

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: Mr Red
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 08:31 AM

It's what you get for lying and warring.

Open Pandora's Box and all you get is a can of worms.

The problem with Saddam Hussein was that as a maverick you couldn't predict what he would do. Sponsoring terrorism was definitely on his agenda as it was. Doing nothing with Iraq was a problem of proportions we can no longer quantify, but it would have been big.

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 08:35 AM

Turkey has suffered incursions and terrorist attacks across he border with Iraq for many years. These are carried out by Kurdish separatist in pursuit of an independent Kurdistan. It's a bit like their Northern Ireland.
I guess that maybe the person who started this thread may be in the USA, where news from out with that country is as rare as hen's teeth, and it's only when it impinges on the USA's adventures abroad does it find space in their news media.
It's been going on for years, get over it, it's nothing to do with GWB's Iraq disaster.

Giok

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 08:40 AM

The BBC report also says this:

After Turkish broadcaster NTV reported that 10,000 soldiers had crossed the border on Thursday, a Turkish military source confirmed for Reuters news agency that two brigades had been deployed.

A brigade numbers up to 5,000 troops, the agency notes.

The operation's timing is unusual as the mountainous border area is still covered with heavy snow, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford reports from Istanbul.

Nor have there have been any major PKK attacks inside Turkey for some time, she adds.

More than 30,000 people have been killed since the PKK began fighting for a Kurdish homeland in south-eastern Turkey in 1984.

Baghdad confusion

As news of the operation broke, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told the BBC he was not aware of any incursion since speaking to BBC correspondent Jim Muir late on Thursday.

The minister, himself a Kurd from northern Iraq, said he had been in touch with people in the north and in Istanbul, as well as being in close contact with the US.

However, the office of Turkish President Abdullah Gul said the leader had phoned his Iraqi counterpart, Jalal Talabani, about the operation on Thursday evening.

"During the call, our president conveyed information on the objective of the ground operation," Mr Gul's office said.

Rear Adm Smith said the US supported Turkey's "right to defend itself from the terrorist activities of the PKK" and encouraged it to "co-ordinate closely with the government of Iraq".

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 08:48 AM

So the US knows about it, of course. But the Iraqi Foreign Minister--who is a Kurd from Northern Iraq--doesn't have a clue. The "incursion" takes place at a very odd time, when there have been no attacks against Turkey.

Me smells a rat.

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 08:56 AM

Could it be this is the way the US is avoiding instituting a draft to deal with it's recruitment shortfall?

Send in the Turks to do duty in Northern Iraq to free up the US forces, hmmm?

Pretty brill, when you think about it.

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 08:58 AM

This thread is a good reason to ban anon guests... ignorance is bliss only to the ignorant.

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: artbrooks
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 09:05 AM

Giok, this story, and Turkey's somewhat smaller scale operation about a month ago, are/were all over the US media. We get current news from just about everywhere...but some people choose to either ignore it or put their own spin on it, including AnonGuestGuest, who is a regular (but not, I think, a member).

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 09:11 AM

Sorry Art, your news gathering activities are obviously more efficient than mine. I have always found it difficult when in the US to find any news of home/Europe, that didn't directly link to some American interest/activity.

Giok

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: Goose Gander
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 12:54 PM

"The problem with Saddam Hussein was that as a maverick you couldn't predict what he would do. Sponsoring terrorism was definitely on his agenda as it was. Doing nothing with Iraq was a problem of proportions we can no longer quantify, but it would have been big."

Actually, Hussein was entirely predictable - he was a thug who wanted to survive. Please don't trot out that tired old canard about "sponsoring terrorism". His biggest crime was the unprovoked invasion of Iran, goaded on and armed by West, which cost a million lives.

Regarding what we can and cannot quantify, by latest estimates 1 million deaths and several million refugees have resulted from the US/British invasion of Iraq.

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: artbrooks
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 02:30 PM

Giok, Earthlink (my internet carrier) has the Associated Press feed on its homepage, and the first two topics there are "US News" and "International News". I rarely watch television, but I also get good international news coverage on National Public Radio.

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 02:58 PM

The Brits, French, etc. made a real hash of things when they split up the Ottoman Empire after WW1. Kurds were split up even more than they were before. Turkish, Iraqi Kurds were united before all sorts of illogical boundaries were drawn in the Middle East, British and French interests prevailing over local cultural and religious affinities.

The Kurds should have a united Kurdistan, but it is very unlikely that the dream will ever be realized.

Echoing Foolestroupe, Guest-Guest is a shit-stirring troll who has stuck his ass-arse into a number of threads, mixing a bit of 'news' into his posted excreta.

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 04:20 PM

Turks invading Iraq is not going to solve anything but bring more problems,I dont know why everyone see's the pkk as a terroist group i dont see them as terroist's,terroist's blow up innocent people,blow up themselves brained washed by religious groups.but pkk all they are trying to do is fight for there human rights and freedom Turkey needs to open there eye's and give them there human rights and let them live as kurds and let them be free to do that....it was against the law to even speak kurdish in Turkey until 1991 kurds were getting punished for speaking there language...and till this day Turkey denies such thing just like how they deny the armenian genocide....The turks are doing the same thing to kurds as saddam hussein regime was doing to them in iraq....war does not solve anything why wont turkey sit down with pkk and ask what they really want....I dont think anyone wants to live with fear

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: Little Hawk
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 05:38 PM

It's the continuation of a very old quarrel. For example: Around 250 BC that general area of the world (the Middle East) was being fought over by the people of Pontus (more or less where central Turkey is now, and probably the progenitors of today's Turkish nation), the Armenians (to the East), the Parthians (a little farther southeast), the Seleuceids (Greeks, part of Alexander's old empire), the Egyptians, various smaller tribal groups, and some other Greeks around Halicarnassus and what is presently the western end of Turkey along the Mediterranean coast.

They all hated each other with a passion. They constantly conspired against each other. They invaded and slaughtered each other whenever they felt strong enough to do so. They made temporary alliances to gain an advantage, then stabbed their allies in the back when the opportunity arose. The Romans finally came and conquered all of them. Later the Romans had to leave, and the whole mess started up again, and has continued to this day, although the names have mostly changed.

Things are actually a bit better now. It's no longer considered morally acceptable to burn down other people's cities, slaughter most of the inhabitants, and enslave the survivors.

Be thankful for small mercies, I guess.

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: Riginslinger
Date: 22 Feb 08 - 06:53 PM

...the Iraqi Foreign Minister--who is a Kurd from Northern Iraq--doesn't have a clue... Me smells a rat.


                         It's hard to smell a rat when there are dead bodies all over the place.

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 23 Feb 08 - 01:35 PM

Don't the occupying powers have a legal responsibility to try to defend Iraq against foreign attacks?

Subject: RE: BS: BBC report on Turks invading Iraq
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 23 Feb 08 - 06:46 PM

Well, you'd think that wouldn't you? Or at least not stand back and say "right, well--they are only here for a wee tiny while fighting the terrorists".