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The
Turkish government hinted Sept. 1 that it may send
troops into Iraq to fight Turkish Kurd rebels there.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters here
that Turkey would do “whatever its security
required.”
“The United States is not yet in a position to
launch a military operation against the [rebel
group] PKK,” Gul said in an apparent sign of growing
Turkish impatience with the United States. “We shall
not proceed by relying on another country. We know
how to deal with our enemy.”
An estimated 4,500 to 5,000 armed militants of the
separatist PKK, also known as Kongra-Gel, reportedly
are holed up in the mountains in northern Iraq. The
group, which seeks independence for Turkish Kurds,
is recognized by Turkey and the United States as a
terrorist organization.
Despite repeated assurances to Ankara, the United
States, the occupying power in Iraq, has not
proposed any military offensive against the PKK.
U.S. officials have said they plan no such military
action in the near future.
Some 30 Turkish security forces personnel have been
killed since June, when the PKK ended its
unilateral, five-year cease-fire with Turkey.
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