There are several stories coming up right now about Turkey making incursions into Northern Iraq.
The BBC is reporting that here that Turkey is threatening raids on the Northern Iraq.
The AP is reporting here that it bombed a group of Turkish insurgents.
CNN is reporting here that Turkey is bombing suspected Kurdish rebels.
Whichever source is the most accurate, this is bad news. They have attacked the Kurds before, but in 1997.
This is not a good sign for stability in the region.
It looks like the bombs came today, and the troops will come later.
According to AP
Turkish warplanes bombed positions of suspected Kurdish rebels Wednesday, and the prime minister said preparations for parliamentary approval of a military mission against separatist fighters in Iraq were under way...
Turkish troops blocked rebel escape routes into Iraq while F-16 and F-14 warplanes and Cobra helicopters dropped bombs on possible hideouts, Dogan news agency reported. The military had dispatched tanks to the region to support the operation against the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in response to more than a week of deadly attacks in southeastern Turkey.
Turkish authorities also detained 20 suspected Kurdish rebels at a border crossing with Iraq, the office for the governor of Sirnak said in a statement.
Dogan said the military had installed night vision cameras at strategic points to prevent any rebels fleeing at night. The agency said there was fog Wednesday morning in the Gabar and Cudi regions of Sirnak province, near the Iraq border, forcing warplanes to fly low.
The military activity followed attacks by PKK rebels that killed 15 soldiers since Sunday and prompted Turkey's government to push for a possible cross-border offensive against separatist bases in Iraq. Turkish Kurd rebels have been fighting for autonomy in southeast Turkey since 1984 in a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
OK, it looks like the rebels are provoking the Turkish government.
From CNN:
SIRNAK, Turkey (AP) -- Turkey is shelling suspected Kurdish rebel camps across the border in northern Iraq, a newspaper reported Wednesday, but the government appeared unlikely to move toward sending ground troops until next week.
A member of the governing Justice and Development Party said a request for parliamentary approval for a cross-border ground offensive was unlikely to come to the floor before the end of a four-day religious holiday on Sunday. He asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that preparations for the parliamentary authorization were under way but he did not say when a motion could reach the floor.
A large-scale military incursion would disrupt one of the few relatively peaceful areas of Iraq and jeopardize Turkey's ties with the United States, which has urged Ankara not to take unilateral steps.
The Turkish military launched a major offensive on its side of the border this week in response to more than a week of deadly attacks in southeastern Turkey by the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.
Turkish troops targeting the guerrillas' suspected escape routes in mountainous areas in Sirnak province have "squeezed" a group of about 80 rebels on Mt. Gabar, in Sirnak, the Hurriyet newspaper reported. Escape routes were being bombed by helicopter gunships while transport helicopters were airlifting special commando units to strategic points.
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Turkish troops were also shelling suspected PKK camps in the regions of Kanimasa, Nazdur and Sinath, in northern Iraq, from positions in Turkey's Hakkari province, just across the border, Hurriyet reported. Tanks were positioned near the town of Silopi, in Sirnak province, the paper said.
The paper said the government would impose an information blackout on its preparations for a possible cross-border offensive.
In the event that parliament gives its approval, the military could choose to immediately launch an operation or wait to see if the United States and its allies, jolted by the Turkish action, decide to crack down on the rebels.
The BBC is now reporting that
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under pressure to act from a Turkish public outraged by rebel attacks that have killed 15 soldiers since Sunday.
Iraq said that the best way to confront the rebels was through a security accord signed with Turkey last month.
The US also warned Turkey against making an incursion into northern Iraq.
"If they have a problem, they need to work together to resolve it and I am not sure that unilateral incursions are the way to go," said state department spokesman Sean McCormack.
White House National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe told the BBC the US understood Turkish concerns about the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is believed to be behind the attacks.
But he added: "We will continue to urge a dialogue between the Turks and the Iraqis on this very important matter."
Tougher action
Correspondents say there are fears both in Baghdad and Washington that a military operation by Turkey could destabilise northern Iraq.
Anybody have any insight into this situation? Looks pretty bad to me. As usual, civilians will be stuck in the middle of the mess.