Attack in SE Turkey increases likelihood of wider Iraq incursion

On Thursday evening, Kurdish rebels detonated a bomb in Southeastern Turkey that killed three Turkish soldiers:

The rebel bomb targeted a military vehicle near the city of Siirt, 75kilometers (46 miles) north of the border with Iraq, the governor'soffice said. Six security personnel, including pro-government villageguards, were injured.

On Friday, Turkey vowed to respond, increasing the likelihood that they could expand their incursion into Northern Iraq, which as of Wednesday included approximately 50,000 soldiers.  At the moment, Turkey has moved a total of 250,000 troops to the border:

Our Eli Lake, who has been way aheadof the other papers, reported yesterday that as many as a quarter of amillion Turkish troops — twice as many as the number of GIs we have inIraq — are massing on the border. Mr. Lake quoted the top Turkishgeneral, Yasar Buyukanit, as saying that his soldiers were awaitinginstructions to attack in northern Iraq the havens whence the KurdistanWorker's Party, or PKK, are infiltrating into America's ally.

As a result of this new front in the war, oil prices have surged to a nine-month high at $71 a barrel.

Comments

[granny]

" ... quarter of a million Turkish troops — twice as many as the number of GIs we have in Iraq ... "

Kind of wish Pace and Bush had consulted with the Turks on military preparedness. The Turks know the territory, and know what they're doing. In fact, they knew before we got to Iraq, and said: if the US goes in there it's going to rile up our Kurds and we're going to have to put them down...

Oh, no, Frat Boy said,not to worry; they'll all be democratized.

So sick, the whole thing!