Kurdish War: Making Nice to All Those Turkish Soldiers

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April 12, 2007: Iraq's President, a Kurd, apologized to Turkey for statements by Iraqi Kurdish leaders that they would "fan unrest" among Turkish Kurds if Turkey opposed Iraqi Kurdish claims to the Iraqi city of Kirkuk. President Talabani insisted that Iraq values its relationship with Turkey. A few days earlier, the Turkish government said that Iraqi Kurds could pay a "heavy cost" for threatening Turkey. Turkey wants to protect the Iraqi Turkoman (ethnic Turk) population in Kirkuk. The US is trying keep Turkey from launching a military incursion into northern Iraq.

April 10, 2007: Turkish troops killed four PKK rebels in firefights that took place in Bingol and Tunceli provinces.

April 9, 2007: -- Ten Turkish soldiers had been killed in recent operations against the PKK in southeastern Turkey. Seven PKK fighters were killed in operations on April 7 and 8. Three more were killed on April 9.

April 6, 2007: The Turks launched a counter-PKK offensive with at least 10,000 troops and paramilitary security police. The operation was described as a "spring sweep" of PKK infiltration routes. As the snows melt, the PKK rebels usually attempt to enter Turkey from Iraq or move from mountain camps to bases nearer cities.

The Turkish government sentenced eight members of the Democratic Society Party (DTP, a predominantly Kurd party) to three years and nine months in prison. The men were convicted of "aiding PKK rebels."

 

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