AP: U.S. Acting Against Kurdish Rebel Group

[Eugene]

U.S. Acting Against Kurdish Rebel Group

By DESMOND BUTLER
The Associated Press
Thursday, March 15, 2007; 4:30 AM

WASHINGTON -- The United States is dealing with Turkish complaints about Kurdish
separatists operating in northern Iraq and has not ruled out military action against
the rebels, the U.S. official assigned to handle the problem says.

Retired U.S. Air Force Gen. Joseph Ralston, a special envoy tasked with countering
the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, said Wednesday in an Associated Press interview
that U.S. pressure has resulted in moves against the group's operations by Iraqi and
European authorities.

Turkish officials repeatedly have accused the United States of insufficient efforts
to prevent attacks into Turkey from Iraq by the PKK, which has waged a guerrilla
war for autonomy since 1984 at a cost of 37,000 lives. Turkey also has threatened
military incursions into Iraq against the rebels, which the United States fears
would alienate Iraqi Kurds, the most pro-American ethnic group in the region.

Ralston said the United States has not yet met Turkish demands for the capture
of PKK operatives and destruction of a rebel base in a mountainous area of Iraq
near the Turkish and Iranian border. He said, however, that the United States
would consider options against the group available to a U.S. military stretched
by many challenges in Iraq.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/15/AR2007031500286.html

[Demeter]

1. Who Needs Friends In Iraq, Anyway?

Let's suck up to the Turks, sure.

[POAS]

2. We never really had friends in Iraq

Only enemies of our enemies. At least the Kurds aren't shooting at our troops, not yet anyway.

[Demeter]

3. That's Okay, George Will Make Sure They Do.

[POAS]

4. and claim another success

[still_one]

5. The PKK are not a nice group of people

I am against us going into Iraq, and not getting out of Iraq, but if you have been following the news, the Turks indicated that if the U.S. did NOT stop the PKK terrorist attacks inside Turkey, they would directly get involved in this conflict

I cannot critisise THIS specific action, because it actually is trying stop the spreading of the conflict

In reality, it won't work, and it will be up to the Iraqii people and its neighbors to decide their fate, NOT us

Any influence we may have had was lost when we invaded Iraq