Turkish Army To Set Up Security Corridor In Northern Iraq After Ground Operation

Team Infidel

Forum Spin Doctor
Today's Zaman (Istanbul)
February 29, 2008
Pg. 1
By Ercan Yavuz, Ankara
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will create temporary security bases in northern Iraq after troops wrap up an ongoing ground offensive in the region against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), security sources told Today's Zaman.
The army plans to establish 11 temporary bases south of the border with Iraq to prevent the PKK ever again using this territory to launch attacks on Turkey, after pulling out the bulk of the troops currently taking part in the cross-border offensive. Taking advantage of the lack of any intervention by the Turkish military or local Kurdish forces in the uninhabited territory for the past seven years, the PKK has reinforced its camps near the Turkish border and used them as launch pad for attacks on targets inside Turkey. Sources say an uninhabited and mostly mountainous area 45 kilometers from the Turkish-Iraqi border in Hakkari and 18 kilometers from the border in Şırnak has been used as a training and logistics center by the PKK for the past seven years.
The planned bases will prevent the PKK from using its Hakurk, Zakhu, Zeli and Avaşin camps and obstruct future infiltration into Turkish territory by PKK terrorists, blocking their access to critical mountain passages in the Kato and Küpeli Mountains, sources said.
The military sent thousands of troops into northern Iraq last week in the biggest anti-PKK operation in a decade. Seven PKK members were killed on the seventh day of the operation, Thursday, bringing the number of PKK casualties to 237 since the beginning of the offensive, the military announced yesterday. PKK targets were also struck by long-artillery fire and fighter planes on Thursday, it added. The military did not say how many troops were involved in the operation or when it would end, saying instead the troops would be pulled out as soon as planned objectives were accomplished. So far, troops, backed by artillery fire from across the border, helicopter gunships and fighter planes, have targeted main PKK camps near the border, namely Zap and Avaşin.
The temporary security bases are to be established in Zap, Avaşin, Hakurk, Zinhat Pass, Zeli, Mezi, Haftanin, Qanimasi, Mergasor and Barzan.
The creation of new bases in northern Iraq following the operation may cause problems with the Kurdish administration in semi-autonomous northern Iraq. Earlier this week, the parliament there called for the closure of a Turkish military base in Bamerni, west of Amadiyah, saying about 350 Turkish soldiers rolled out of their barracks in 13 tanks to join their fellow soldiers coming from across the border. He said this was in violation of the agreement under which they operate and added that the Turkish soldiers were prevented from leaving their barracks by local residents.
In an interview with Today's Zaman, government spokesperson Cemil Çiçek dismissed calls from opposition parties for the creation of a buffer zone inside Iraq, saying such proposals would not serve Turkey's interests. Sources said the planned bases would be similar to the base in Bamerni, established in 1997. In addition to Bamerni base, where a tank battalion is positioned, there are some other bases in Batufa, Kanimasi and Dilmentepe in northern Iraq. A few thousand Turkish soldiers are estimated to be deployed at these bases.
In an attempt to root the PKK out of its northern Iraqi bases, the Turkish military has carried out some 24 cross-border operations in the region, at a cost of 628 soldiers' lives. The latest operation has so far claimed 24 soldiers and three government-paid village guards. Some 4,776 PKK members were killed in past operations.
The main objective in creation of the temporary security zones is to ensure the TSK will never have to carry out another operation in Iraqi territory, sources told Today's Zaman.
The army will also establish logistics support units near the border and keep troops on the Turkish side of the border ready to intervene in case reinforcements are needed. Turkey has already deployed up to 100,000 troops near the border to prevent infiltration of the Turkish territory by the PKK terrorists. These troops are expected to remain in their positions to keep the borders safe.
Ankara has told US and Iraq that the planned bases are temporary and aimed at preventing the PKK from using this uninhabited territory for attacks on Turkey.
 
Back
Top