Turkey mainly, Iraq and the Kurds (2006-2014)
20 September BBC - Israel 'Trains Iraqi Kurd Forces' by Magdi Abdelhadi.
Quote:
A report on the BBC TV programme Newsnight showed Israeli experts in Kurdish areas of north Iraq, drilling soldiers in shooting techniques.
Kurdish officials have refused to comment on the report and Israel has denied it knows of any involvement.
The revelation is set to cause enormous problems for the Kurds, not only in Iraq but also in the wider region.
Inside Iraq as well as in the wider region Israel is seen as an enemy of Arabs and Muslims...
Israeli security experts who spoke to the BBC said they could not have worked inside Kurdistan without the knowledge of the Kurdish authorities.
The news will most probably increase the tension between the Kurds and other Iraqis...
The Israeli government says it is conducting an investigation into the BBC report because it is against Israeli law to export military know-how without prior permission...
The BBC report will be like the smoking gun the Arab media has spent years looking for.
Ever since the US-led invasion of Iraq began over three years ago, Arab journalists have been speaking of Israelis operating inside the autonomous region of Kurdistan...
BS Might Very Well be Right...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
RTK
I'd imagine this is more propeganda. The Turks are all over the Kurdish north. We were pretty close up there and worked with various peshmerga units. So I'll go ahead and throw out the BS flag on this.
...after all - it is BBC.
The Iraqi Kurds, the MEK, PJAK and Iran
Don't the Kurds provide sanctuary and support to the MEK, PKK/Kongra Gel, and Ansar al Sunnah? I believe all three of these groups are on the US FTO list. If we are truly serious about the GWOT, how about we ask the Kurds to hand these folks over? Even better, in an effort to gain increased influence with the Turks and Iranians, how about we turn them over to those nations for prosecution?
BTW - didnt Barazani assist Saddam against Talabani during the 90s?
'Turkey mainly, Iraq and the Kurds: a merged thread
Moderator's Note
The title of this thread was 'Turkish Officials: Troops Enter Iraq' and covered now historical events. There are several, smaller threads on Turkey and the Kurds, both within Turkey and in Iraq, which shortly will be merged into this thread. The thread has been re-titled 'Turkey, Iraq and the Kurds: a merged thread'.
Jamestown Foundation - Kurdish Peshmerga reinforce Turkish border.
Quote:
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Following the announcement of the proposed Turkish military plan against PKK installations in northern Iraq, witnesses also reported that two Turkish aircraft penetrated Iraqi airspace for about 10 minutes when they flew over Kista, a village near the Iraqi-Turkish border (Azzam, April 16). The Turks are not only putting a military squeeze on Iraqi Kurdistan, but are restricting trade along the Khabour Crossing, a vital trade link for the Kurds, to ratchet up the pressure. Turkish Minister of Foreign Trade Kursad Tuzmen said that Turkish trucks carrying material into Iraq will no longer use the Khabour Gate, whose collection tolls are a major source of revenue for the Kurdish government, and instead will start using the border gate with Syria to transport material into Iraqi territory (al-Bayyna al-Jadidah, April 15). The Turkish military also positioned about 50 tanks along the Turkish side of the Khabour checkpoint. If the Turkish blockade along the Khabour Gate continues, the Kurds will lose a significant source of income and influence. This will likely have a stronger effect in influencing Kurdish actions and rhetoric regarding the PKK ...