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Turkey confirms its troops withdrawn from
Iraqi Kurdistan, says objectives achieved
29.2.2008
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Turkey will continue to "closely watch" PKK
activities in northern Iraq and "will not allow
threats to Turkey from this region,"
February 29, 2008
ANKARA, -- The Turkish army ended its
week-old ground offensive against Turkish Kurdish
PKK rebels in Iraqi Kurdistan region on Friday,www.ekurd.net
saying its forces had
pulled out after achieving their objectives.
The withdrawal followed strong US pressure on its
NATO ally to wrap up the incursion against the
Turkey's separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK),
launched late on February 21.
"The objectives set at the start of the operation
have been achieved and our forces... returned to
their home bases as of Friday morning," a statement
from the military general staff said. |
Turkish soldiers prepare for a patrol on a road near
the Turkey-Iraq border in the mainly Kurdish
southeastern province of Sirnak on February 28.
Turkey has ended its cross-border offensive against
Kurdish PKK rebels in Iraqi Kurdistan region and
already begun withdrawing troops, the Turkish NTV
news channel has reported. |
At least 240 PKK
militants were killed and dozens of rebel hideouts,
logistics bases and ammunition depots destroyed, it
said, putting the army losses at 27 men.
The PKK "was shown that
northern Iraq is not a safe region for them," the
statement said.
Television footage showed dozens of military trucks
loaded with soldiers crossing into Turkey from the
border town of Cukurca, while empty vehicles climbed
mountainous roads in the opposition direction.
US President George W. Bush had
urged the
Turkish army on Thursday to leave Kurdistan region
of northern Iraq "as quickly as possible" and
Defence Secretary Robert Gates personally
put pressure on
Turkish leaders during a series of meetings in
Ankara.
The military, however, insisted the withdrawal
decision was made "under no external or internal
influence."
It said some forces had already returned home before
Friday "in line with the original planning."
Turkey will continue to "closely watch" PKK
activities in northern Iraq and "will not allow
threats to Turkey from this region," the statement
said.
"The struggle against terrorism will be pursued with
determination at home and abroad," it said.
The United States, which also labels the PKK a
terrorist group, supported its NATO ally during the
incursion with intelligence on PKK movements.
But Washington had been concerned that a prolonged
incursion could escalate into a broader conflict
between Turkish forces and the Iraqi Kurds,www.ekurd.net
who run the autonomous
Kurdistan region in northern Iraq and are staunch US
supporters.
Turkey has long accused Iraqi Kurdistan of providing
the PKK with safe haven and weapons, and warned them
not to shelter rebels fleeing the fighting. Kurdish
authorities in Kurdistan region strongly reject the
claim.
The most intensive air raids and ground assaults
during the incursion targeted the mountainous
regions of Zap and Hakurk, near the Turkish border,
where the PKK has some of its largest camps.
The Qandil mountains further east along the Iraqi
Kurdistan-Iranian border are also a major PKK
stronghold.
The PKK has claimed to have killed around 100
soldiers, lost five and to have downed a Turkish
attack helicopter during the incursion.
Ankara had repeatedly refused to commit itself to a
pullout timetable.
Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul said after talks with
Gates on Thursday that Turkey would remain in
northern Iraq "as long as necessary."
Since it was established in 1984, the PKK has been
fighting the Turkish state, which still denies the
constitutional existence of Kurds, to establish a
Kurdish state in the south east of the country,
sparking a conflict that has claimed some 45,000
lives.
But now its aim is the creation an autonomous
Kurdish region and more cultural rights for ethnic
Kurds who constitute the greatest minority in
Turkey, numbering more than 20 million. A large
Turkey's Kurdish community openly sympathise with
the Kurdish PKK rebels.
PKK's demands included releasing PKK detainees,
lifting the ban on education in Kurdish, paving the
way for an autonomous democrat Kurdish system within
Turkey, reducing pressure on the detained PKK leader
Abdullah Öcalan, stopping military action against
the Kurdish party and recomposing the Turkish
constitution.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population
as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural
rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish
language and private Kurdish language courses with
the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish
politicians say the measures fall short of their
expectations.
The PKK is considered as 'terrorist' organization by
Ankara, U.S., the PKK continues to be on the
blacklist list in EU despite court ruling which
overturned a decision
to place the Kurdish rebel group PKK and its
political wing on the European Union's terror list.
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author or news agency,
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