Turkey Wants to Invade The Kurds in N. Iraq

A new spin in an already spinning Middle East. Turkey wants to cross the NorthernIraqi border to invade Kurdish guerrillas, and the U.S. is asking Turkey not to,but agrees the guerrillas are terrorists and need to be dealt with. The supportof the Iraqi Kurdish leaders is essential to stabilize Iraq.

WASHINGTON - The United States urged Turkeyon Thursday to refrain from launching cross-border raids against Kurdishguerrilla bases in neighboring Iraq, although it agreed the rebels "need tobe dealt with."

The assistant secretary of state for Europe, Dan Fried, made the appeal in atelephone call to Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy after Turkey's army chiefargued publicly in favor of a military incursion into northern Iraq to crackdown on Kurd rebels there, US officials said.

"The focus should be on trying to resolve this in a cooperative way, ina joint way, rather than to resort to unilateral actions," McCormack said.

But the US spokesman went on to say it was imperative to counter the PKK,which has waged a bloody campaign for Kurdish self-rule in Turkey's southeastsince 1984, an insurgency that has already claimed about 37,000 lives.

"Clearly the terrorist activities of the PKK are completelyunacceptable," he said. "They are a terrorist group and they need tobe dealt with."

Read the complete story: USurges caution after Turkish army threatens operation into Iraq

This situation will most likely create a whole new batch of issues.