TURKISH TROOPS CROSS IRAQI BORDER
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.12.2007 18:51 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ About 300 Turkish troops have crossed into northern
Iraq in a raid against Kurdish rebels, Iraqi officials say. The
lightly-armed soldiers moved up to three kilometers (1.9 miles)
inside Iraq.
It is believed to be the first major Turkish troop deployment in Iraq
since the cabinet backed the move last month to hunt PKK rebels based
there, BBC reports.
Meanwhile, as reported by The Guardian, U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice has made a surprise visit to the northern Iraq city
of Kirkuk, a day after the U.S.
appeared to give tacit approval to the bombing of rebel Kurdish bases
by Turkish jets. The US secretary of state’s arrival in the oil rich
city indicates growing American concern about the level of fighting
in a once stable region of Iraq.
Rice today met members of a civilian-military reconstruction unit
based in Kirkuk and provincial politicians of all stripes to persuade
them to press for political reconciliation.
Kirkuk is an especially coveted city for both the Shia-dominated
Iraqi government in Baghdad and the Kurdish government in Irbil.
Kurds want to incorporate the city into their self-rule area, but
the idea has met stiff resistance from Arabs delaying a referendum
on the issue that is required under the constitution.
Much of Iraq’s vast oil wealth lies under the ground in the region,
as well as in the Shia-controlled south. Kurds refer to Kirkuk as the
"Kurdish Jerusalem".
"It truly is the crossing point for every one of Iraq’s ethnicities,
every one of Iraq’s religions and sects," said David Satterfield,
Rice’s top adviser for Iraq. "Kirkuk is often identified as a flash
point for the future of Iraq."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
