According to a Reuters bulletin dated
April 20th, Turkey has increased its troop presence in Kurdish
dominated Southeastern Turkey by 40,000—bringing the total to
290,000. The Turkish government made that move because the
American-backed Kurdish government in Northern Iraq/Kurdistan is
likely to supply the Kurdistan Workers Party (PPK) with arms and
intelligence on Turkish military movements in Hakkari, Van, Sirnak
and other major cities in the country. It is likely that insurgents
in Iraq have been training the PPK in the tactics that have been
wildly successful against US forces in Iraq.
Turkey has been ruthless in its oppression of the Kurds, as Saddam
Hussein was, and that practice, according to the Kurdish National
Congress (kncna.org), continues to this day with the Turkish Army’s
secret police, Jitem, terrorizing the Kurdish population.
Reliefweb.net, reports that the Kurdish language was not legalized
until 1991 and the Turkish government had engaged in forced
displacements as late as 2002 to break-up concentrations of the 20
million Kurds who reside in Turkey. Separatist statements by Kurds
or talk of recognizing the Armenian Genocide results in doing some
hard time in a Turkish jail.
The Turkish government has frequently complained about the duplicity
of the US government as it plays its Kurdish cards. The US has
largely stayed away from Turkey’s battle with its Kurds while
actively supporting Kurdish groups in Iran and Syria with funds and
arms. The creation of Kurdistan in Northern Iraq has infuriated
Turkish leaders. When Condolezza Rice visits with Turkish officials
in late April, these matters are sure to be topics of discussion.
Meanwhile in Iran, there are approximately four million Kurds who
have suffered a similar fate as their Turkish compatriots. The Kurds
in Iran are split on the type of revolt they want to run. One group
formed in January 2006, the Kurdish United Front, wants to work
within the Iranian system to gain equal rights. They likely receive
funds from the US government via the KNC and other outlets. A
Kurdish insurgent group known as Pejak--supported by the US
government and working with US Special Forces and intelligence
agencies on the ground--advocates the violent overthrow of the
Islamic government in Iran.
Back in Turkey, the Kurds are not the only problem. There are
accusations by opponents of Turkish President Recep Ergodan that
Turkey is becoming a theocracy. Facing an election in 2007, the last
thing Ergodan needs is to be perceived as an Islamic radical and
incur the wrath of opponents supported by the Turkish military,
which is to say the US military. The World Peace Herald,
wpherald.com, carried a story titled, Turkish PM Tied to Islamic
Forces. “In increasingly bitter verbal exchanges with President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Mr. Erdogan rejected charges that he is leading
Turkey away from its secular system toward Islamic fundamentalism.
Mr. Sezer's latest broadside was a statement to the War Academy that
'religious fundamentalism has reached dramatic proportions. Islamic
fundamentalism is trying to infiltrate politics, education and the
state, it is systematically eroding values…'”
So, as the bombs fly over Iran, the Kurds would be likely to seize
the day and fight for the recognition of a Kurdish state that
deletes portions of present-day Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq (http://www.kncna.org/docs/map.asp
) from the map. This is no idle dream. The American based KNC openly
advocates a United Free Kurdistan. One day, there will be a Kurdish
state. That could be done in a non-violent fashion rather than as a
consequence of a misguided military adventure against Iran. Finally,
an invasion of that country would likely involve Turkish assets of
some kind. As a member of NATO, Turkey houses tactical nuclear
weapons and, as reported by Ramin Jahanbegloo in the Daily Star,
“Participation by Turkey in a US/Israeli military operation is also
a factor [concerning Iran], following an agreement reached between
the Turks and Israelis.”
Central Asia and the Middle East would become a bloodbath one minute
after an attack on Iran.
John Stanton is a Virginia based writer specializing in national
security and political matters. He is the author of A Power But Not
Super and co-author of America's Nightmare. Reach him at cioran123@yahoo.com
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