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Turkish Army Begins Ground Assault on PKK in Iraq

Written by Administrator

Friday, 22 February 2008

Feb. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Turkish soldiers crossed into northern Iraq in their first major incursion in 11 years, stepping up an assault against Kurdish militants after two months of air strikes.

The troops moved in late yesterday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Ankara without saying how many soldiers were involved. Istanbul-based NTV television said that 10,000 Turkish soldiers pushed 10 kilometers (6 miles) into Iraq. CNN-Turk later said the attack involved 3,000 troops.

Britain urged Turkey to withdraw as quickly as possible while Germany said it viewed the incursion with ``great concern.'' Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki tried to talk Turkey out of an attack against the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which is based in the only relatively peaceful area of his country.

``We will withdraw our troops once the mission is complete and within the shortest possible time,'' Erdogan said, adding that he informed U.S. President George W. Bush about the incursion last night. ``We respect the territorial integrity of Iraq.''

Crude oil futures rose as much as 1.2 percent in London because of concern the conflict may disrupt Iraqi oil production. Crude gained as much as $1.14 to $99.37 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Limited Reaction

In Istanbul, Turkey's main National-100 share index extended earlier losses, falling 1.8 percent. The lira fell 0.3 percent against the dollar, and yields on domestic bonds rose 9 basis points to 16.89 percent, according to ABN Amro's benchmark index.

Market reaction has been limited because of reports that the U.S. did not oppose the attack, though ``if the operation stretches over a long time and the Iraqi Kurds get involved we could see a harsh effect,'' said Mehmet Ilgen, a trader at Ata Invest in Istanbul.

Turkey has fought the PKK, which seeks political autonomy for Kurds in Turkey's southeast, for two decades at the cost of almost 40,000 lives. The group, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and European Union, withdrew some of its forces into Iraq in 1999 after Turkey captured its leader Abdullah Ocalan and put him on trial. Ethnic Kurds make up 20 percent of Turkey's population and the country's pro-Kurdish political party strongly opposes any assault.

``The Turkish military is probably trying to strike a severe blow against the PKK presence in north Iraq prior to the onset of the spring season,'' said Fadi Hakura, an analyst at Chatham House in London. ``It's unlikely the PKK can be defeated in one strike.''

Air Strikes

Turkey began air attacks to destroy PKK camps in the mountains of northern Iraq in December and sent about 700 soldiers into the region on Dec. 18. The U.S. has provided the Turkish military with intelligence to track down PKK units.

Turkey has assured the U.S. that the military will avoid civilian casualties, Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad, said today.

The Kurdish administration governing northern Iraq, led by Massoud Barzani, has warned Turkey against sending troops across the border, saying Iraqi Kurds may exercise their right to defend their territory.

Barzani ordered his fighters not to engage Turkish troops, NTV reported.

Germany is urging Turkey to avoid escalating tensions in the area, Foreign Office spokesman Martin Jaeger said in Berlin. The Turkish army should take the greatest possible care to avoid harming the civilian population, a spokeswoman for the U.K. Foreign Office said in a telephone interview in London, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.

Major Incursions

Turkey carried out major incursions into northern Iraq in 1995, with almost 40,000 troops, and in 1997, with tens of thousands.

Al-Maliki yesterday tried to dissuade Erdogan from pursuing a military solution, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan party said on its Arabic language Web site. Turkey should respect Iraq's territorial integrity, al-Maliki told Erdogan in a telephone conversation. President Abdullah Gul has invited Talabani to Ankara to discuss the assault, Gul said on his Web site today.

About 30 million Kurds live in the mountainous regions of Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey, making them the Middle East's largest ethnic group without a state.

Kurds in southeastern Turkey have warned that a Turkish incursion into Iraq would exacerbate tensions between Turks and the estimated 15 million ethnic Kurds who live in the country.

``The PKK may now try to shift its campaign of violence from Turkey's southeastern region to the cities in the west of the country,'' Wolfango Piccoli, an analyst at Eurasia Group in London, said in a note to investors. ``This may conceivably lead to an escalation of violence throughout the country.''

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