PanARMENIAN.Net

Pentagon seeks alternatives for supply of troops in Iraq
13.10.2007 14:17 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ U.S. military planners quietly have stepped up a
review of alternatives in case the Turkish government restricts
U.S. access to Turkish airspace or cuts off access to the air base at
Incirlik, Turkey, CNN has learned. Turkey has threatened such action
after congressional moves to declare that the killing of Armenians by
Ottoman Turks in World War I was Genocide. The recent rise in tensions
between Turkey and the United States has led the military to increase
its planning for alternatives, two military officials with direct
knowledge of the ongoing assessment said.

"Events have triggered more detailed planning for the curtailment or
closure" of access to Turkey, one official said. The key issue is to
find ways to ship supplies and other critical equipment into Iraq. The
U.S. military already had been considering alternatives to Turkey
because of the growing dependence on that country after the cutback of
U.S. forces in central Asia in recent years. But now, with more
"detailed planning" under way, the military is considering a variety
of options in hopes of being ready for whatever, if anything, the
Turks do. U.S. officials say Turkey’s options range from a complete
cutoff, including ending overland access routes from southern Turkey
into Iraq, to less drastic options that simply restrict U.S. access.

The initial assessment is that any cutoff from current access to
Turkey would force the U.S. military into longer cargo flights, which
would mean extra costs for fuel and for wear and tear on equipment. It
may also look for other air hubs in Jordan or Kuwait, officials say.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates earlier this week pointed out, "Seventy
percent of the air cargo, American air cargo, going into Iraq goes
through Turkey. Seventy percent of the fuel that goes in for our
forces goes in … through Turkey … "For those who are concerned
that we get as many of these mine-resistant ambush-protected heavy
vehicles into Iraq as possible, 95 percent of those vehicles today are
being flown into Iraq through Turkey." The Turkish military is poised
to strike across the border to fight the group – the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party, or PKK – a move opposed by the Bush
administration. The Turkish parliament could give approval for the
incursion into Iraq as early as next week, CNN reports.