Turkey, Iraq, and Kurdistan: Peaceful For Now

A terrorist organization, the PKK, says it's for Kurdish independence, among other things. The PKK has killed a few Turks.

Turkey has reason to be upset. PKK raids have killed 13 Turkish soldiers here, seven Turkish soldiers there.

So, the Turkish parliament gave the okay to invade Iraq on Wednesday of this week. I'm sure they used the proper, diplomatic, euphemism for it: but that's the bottom line. Turkey's Prime Minister says that Turkey will use "common sense" about using the 60,000 troops they've got massed on border with Iraq. (see Turkey, Iraq, and Kurdistan (October 16, 2007))

Turkey says that Iraq should clean up the PKK problem, Iraq says that they're stretched thin already, with terrorists (and crazed security guards) loose on the streets of Baghdad and elsewhere.

So far, Turkey seems to have been using the "common sense" their PM talked about. I hope that situation holds - and that no one in Turkey decides to have a shot at reclaiming the Ottoman province of Kurdistan.