Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris
Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris
Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris
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REVUE DE PRESSE-PRESS REVIEW-BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ-RWISTA STAMPA-DENTRO DE LA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZETÎ<br />
78<br />
Turkish Probe August 24, 1993<br />
Gearing Up .For "Operation Iraq?"<br />
Ankara appears to be gearing up for another<br />
cross-bor<strong>de</strong>r venture into Iraq, possibly to<br />
turn the inci<strong>de</strong>nt into a military victory to cover<br />
up for policy failures back at home against the<br />
outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).<br />
Immediately after the October 1992 operation into<br />
Iraq, which was instigated by a written invitation issued<br />
through an Iraqi Kurdish official in Zakho who was<br />
by then engaged by the Turkish intelligence, the military<br />
announced its great victory. '<br />
According to Turkish officials of that time, great damage<br />
had been inflicted on PKK forces in the area.<br />
and losses of the organization were around 4,000.<br />
For weeks, the victory was highlighted as the end of<br />
the organizatiol1.<br />
Later, however, it was un<strong>de</strong>rstood that the Iraqi<br />
Kurds were b<strong>et</strong>ter at giving the true casualty figures<br />
and that Turkish figures had been inflated. PKK losses<br />
throughout the operation were only near 180.<br />
But hundreds of militants had managed to escape into<br />
Syria' and Iran. About 1,500 others were moved<br />
southward into Iraqi kurdistan.<br />
One reason for this outcome was the style of the<br />
operation. The other was the <strong>et</strong>hics of local Turkish<br />
comman<strong>de</strong>rs. First, Turkish troops were "invited" to<br />
Iraq without the knowledge of Iraqi Kurdish lea<strong>de</strong>rs,<br />
and their presenceis said to have hin<strong>de</strong>red the Kurdish<br />
Peshmarga operation already launched on the<br />
PKK. Second, Turkey's secr<strong>et</strong> request for a handing<br />
over of all arrested PKK militants so they could be silently<br />
"removed" wal?turned down. T,he Kurds believed<br />
that much would be un<strong>et</strong>hical.<br />
Today, the comman<strong>de</strong>rs who once boasted of breaking<br />
the backbone of the PKK in Iraq are arguing<br />
that the organization is back in its camps and carrying<br />
out attacks on Turkey.<br />
They are saying that the Iraqi Kurds allowed the<br />
PKK to move and thus violated a protocol signed in<br />
April b<strong>et</strong>ween them and Ankara. What they do not<br />
mention is that Ankara itself has failed to me<strong>et</strong> any of<br />
the 13 items in this secr<strong>et</strong> text. That the Iraqi Kurds<br />
are far weaker than Turkish forces on the bor<strong>de</strong>r and<br />
that it is the duty of the Turkish forces to protect that<br />
bor<strong>de</strong>r, more than that of the Kurds.At least, this is<br />
the argument which the Kurdish si<strong>de</strong> has brought up.<br />
According to military figures, the PKK is said to have<br />
about 1,500-2,000 militants in Iraqi Kurdistan and<br />
has carried out at least two recent raids into Turkey<br />
over the bor<strong>de</strong>r. An attack on a military patrol earlier<br />
this month and a subsequent raid on the Üzümlü<br />
gendarmerie station are cited as examples of this.<br />
Last week, the Gendarmerie command in Ankara <strong>de</strong>livered<br />
a memorandum to the representatives of Iraqi<br />
Kurdish movements and called for immediate measures<br />
to be implemented against the PKK. "Or else,"<br />
warned the note, "relations will become very negative...<br />
We will have to bomb the territory."<br />
For years, Turkish bombings in northern Iraq have<br />
hurt civilians more than the PKK, and appear to have<br />
been initiated only to draw Iraqi Kurdish hatred towards<br />
this organization. This time, however, the<br />
Kurds are wary. Not only do they claim that the<br />
2,000 militants figure is exaggerated and the real<br />
number of PKK fighters in their territory is no more<br />
than 300, but they also argue Ankara may be involved<br />
in a major scheme. According to Turkish Probe<br />
sources, Gendarmerie Comman<strong>de</strong>r Gen. Aydin liter<br />
was to visit Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) lea<strong>de</strong>r<br />
Jalal Talabani and Kurdistan Democrat Party (KDP)<br />
Chairman Masoud Barzani around the 12th of August.<br />
The visit was planned but never took place.<br />
Later, the Iraqi Kurds sent a message to Ankara<br />
but not a single military official was willing to reply<br />
and tell them what Ankara wanted from them.<br />
The Kurds say they are willin'g to cooperate and<br />
could <strong>de</strong>al with the PKK swiftly. The PKK already<br />
has serious problems with Barzani's movement and<br />
has come to the point of clashing with It .<br />
But, they add, unless the Kurds are told what Ankara<br />
expects, there is nothing to do. In nationalist<br />
circles, meanwhile, talk of a greater Kurdistan and a<br />
fe<strong>de</strong>ral system is spreading. Earlier, PKK lea<strong>de</strong>r Abdullah<br />
Öcalan had warned that Turkey may be planning<br />
on a fe<strong>de</strong>ration based on friendly Kurdish forces,<br />
namely village chieftains, village guard comman<strong>de</strong>rs<br />
and assimilated Kurdish politicians. .<br />
Last week, there was talk among nationalists that if<br />
the Iraqi Kurds agreed "to join Turkey," a fe<strong>de</strong>ral solution<br />
could be consi<strong>de</strong>red and this would serve to<br />
suffocate the PKK movement. There is even guesswork<br />
now on wh<strong>et</strong>her Turkey could act and unite the<br />
Kurds of Iran, Iraq and Syria for such a solution.<br />
Far from reflecting regional realities and the true<br />
balance of forces, such scenarios unknowingly show<br />
that acknowledging the Kurdish i<strong>de</strong>ntity and being<br />
part of the <strong>de</strong>bate are actually positive positions.<br />
But, this changes nothing as far as military plans<br />
with regard to northern Iraq are concerned.<br />
Turkey's comman<strong>de</strong>rs have pledged to <strong>de</strong>al with<br />
the PKK by the end of the winter, but all observers<br />
agree that based on the current policy, this is' impossible.<br />
Thus, by the middle of next year, Turkey is bound<br />
to start <strong>de</strong>bating the requirement of martiallaw,<br />
which mayalso be part of a master plan. Also. both<br />
the political management and certain forces may agree<br />
that for the sake of credibility alone, an operation<br />
into Iraq would serve to save Ankara's position.<br />
The Kurdish movement, believes that once Ankara<br />
realizes it cannot cope with the PKK in Turkish territory<br />
as easily as it thought, the attention will turn to<br />
them. They say the current buildup is based on this<br />
and is a threatening <strong>de</strong>velopment.<br />
As for the PKK, it is using Turkish territory more<br />
now. Unless its bases in Turkeyare <strong>de</strong>alt with, there<br />
is little hope that a cross-bor<strong>de</strong>r operation will to curb<br />
violence....