Cyprus-Forum.com

[iceman]

Turkish ground forces have rolled across the border into northern Iraq to target Kurdish rebels said to be sheltering there.
Thousands of soldiers are thought to be involved in the operation which, the army says, began on Thursday evening after an air and artillery bombardment.

Turkey promised its force would "return home in the shortest time possible after its goals have been achieved".

The US military says it believes the operation is "of limited duration".

But a US official quoted by Reuters news agency appeared to express concern about the scale of the Turkish operation.

It was "not the greatest news" and marked "a whole new level", Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza said in Brussels.

While supporting Turkey's right to fight "terrorism", the EU has asked Turkey to "refrain from taking any disproportionate military action".

The Americans are strong allies of Turkey but are also anxious not to see any action which might destabilise Iraq, BBC world affairs correspondent Nick Childs says.

The Kurdish government in the north has been a particularly valuable partner for the US, he adds.

'Unusual timing'

"A cross-border ground operation backed by the Air Force was launched at 1900 [1700 GMT on Thursday]," the military said.


PKK fighters are known to use the northern Iraq as a base

Turkey has carried out at least one, smaller ground incursion, as well as frequent air and artillery strikes, against suspected PKK targets in Iraq since parliament authorised the army to act in October 2007.

After Turkish broadcaster NTV reported that 10,000 soldiers had crossed the border on Thursday, a Turkish military source confirmed for Reuters news agency that two brigades had been deployed.

A brigade numbers up to 5,000 troops, the agency notes.

The operation's timing is unusual as the mountainous border area is still covered with heavy snow, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford reports from Istanbul.

Nor have there have been any major PKK attacks inside Turkey for some time, she adds.

More than 30,000 people have been killed since the PKK began fighting for a Kurdish homeland in south-eastern Turkey in 1984.

Baghdad 'unaware'

As news of the operation broke, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told the BBC he was not aware of any incursion since speaking to BBC correspondent Jim Muir late on Thursday.

The minister, himself a Kurd from northern Iraq, said he had been in touch with people in the north and in Istanbul, as well as being in close contact with the US.

Rear Adm Smith said the US supported Turkey's "right to defend itself from the terrorist activities of the PKK" and encouraged it to "co-ordinate closely with the government of Iraq".

On Thursday, there was a tense stand-off between Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Turkish troops who had advanced out of the two fixed bases they have inside northern Iraq, our correspondent adds.

The Turkish troops returned to base without shots being fired.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7258323.stm

[kafenes]

Turkey promised its force would "return home in the shortest time possible after its goals have been achieved".

[shahmaran]

Well good luck to them, i hope some day they will manage to demolish the PKK scum for good.

Im sure some GC's would be sad to see their buddies being bombed to pieces.

[pantheman]

I wonder what peace mission this is.

Maybe they will just stay there for 40 years or so and start claiming the vitim again.

Typical, Just Fucking typical. Shah, sometimes you are just full of shit, honestly.

[shahmaran]

Yes did you purposely ignore the part about the 30,000 killed by the PKK? Or is that not a good enough excuse to chase after an internationally recognized terrorist organisation?

Since all the do is kill Turks anyways right? Its why the RoC is so keen to provide them with weapons.

Talk about being full of shit Pansyman, seriously.

[pantheman]

Yes did you purposely ignore the part about the 30,000 killed by the PKK? Or is that not a good enough excuse to chase after an internationally recognized terrorist organisation?

Since all the do is kill Turks anyways right? Its why the RoC is so keen to provide them with weapons.

Talk about being full of shit Pansyman, seriously.

Shagaman, just fuck off, you are a waste of time. Turkey has genocided these peoples by the hundreds of thousands and you don't even acknowledge any wrong doings there. Its always you that are wronged. I am sick of hearing all of your bullshit. You can do no wrong. Take a hike mate.

[shahmaran]

LOL well that was not surprising Pansyman, i wasn't actually expecting you to come back with anything semi-intellectual nor logical, well done, keep it up

[paliometoxo]

What i wonder is why turkey wants to kill off these people that are trying to have EQUAL rights in turkey when they are doing the very same thing in cyprus, only they want even a recognised state such a small minority oh its unnacceptable to be accepted as a Minority we have same rights as GCS so turkey says.

why cant turkey give 50% power in turkey to kurdish? just because turkey can FORCE cyprus wiuth force of arms that makes it OK.

you turks are stupid condeming the kurds for doing the very same thing that the turks are doing in another country.

[shahmaran]

Its not the Kurds genius, its the PKK they are after who regularly kill innocent people, who are also a terrorist organization branching into Iran and its neighbouring araes under different names, they are the Kurdish separatist groups and do not represent all the Kurds, i have many Kurdish friends, hardly any of them support the PKK.

You and Pansyman seem to be clueless about Turkey and her interior conflicts and just need any excuse to come here and let some steam off by swearing at them, that's just fucking sad if you ask me.

Go do some research then come here and try sounding intelligent, you might actually get somewhere.

Also what the fuck is "you Turks" supposed to mean? Are you Cypriot or are you Greek? Or are you just simply a racist scumbag like Phoenix?

[pantheman]

Its not the Kurds genius, its the PKK they are after who regularly kill innocent people, who are also a terrorist organization branching into Iran and its neighbouring araes under different names, they are the Kurdish separatist groups and do not represent all the Kurds, i have many Kurdish friends, hardly any of them support the PKK.

You and Pansyman seem to be clueless about Turkey and her interior conflicts and just need any excuse to come here and let some steam off by swearing at them, that's just fucking sad if you ask me.

Go do some research then come here and try sounding intelligent, you might actually get somewhere.

Also what the fuck is "you Turks" supposed to mean? Are you Cypriot or are you Greek? Or are you just simply a racist scumbag like Phoenix?

Yes Shagamoron, yes. Whatever you say dear mustafa. We bow to your holiness and we do as you cammand thee.

Now fuck off and get a life you sad bastard, you turks are all the same whinge whinge whinge.

Have a nice day, moron.