Can someone explain how Turkey invading Northern Iraq will help anything,?

Question

and what is the U.S. trying to accomplish before they leave Iraq. How much of a factor is OIL in all of this?

Answer 1

The Turks want to attack and neutralize the Kurdish P.K.K. training Camps from which the P.K.K. have been sending bombers into Turkey, they believe it to be their right to fight the P.K.K who they class as terrorists.

* SOME BACKGROUND:

-- Ankara blames the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK or Kongra-Gel), which Washington and the EU also view as a terrorist group, for the deaths of more than 30,000 people since the group launched its armed campaign for an ethnic homeland in southeast Turkey in 1984.

-- Washington and Baghdad have so far failed to take action against the estimated 3,000 PKK guerrillas hiding in northern Iraq, and Turkish frustration has grown after clashes resumed.

* MILITARY POWER:

-- Turkey launched major incursions into northern Iraq in 1995 with 35,000 troops and in the second half of 1997 with tens of thousands of troops.

* TURKEY'S ARMED FORCES:

-- TOTALS:

-- The armed forces are the 2nd largest standing force in NATO after the United States.

-- The armed forces has 514,850 active people. Consisting of Army - 402,000, Navy - 52,750, Air Force - 60,100. Additionally, there is a paramilitary force of 102,200. Reservists are 378,700 over all the services.

-- ARMY:

-- The Chief of General Staff (General Yasar Buyukanit since August 2006, succeeding General Hilmi Ozkok) is appointed by the president as Commander of the Armed Forces and is responsible to the prime minister.

-- Turkey is divided into four military sectors on the basis of strategic conditions of terrain, logistics, communications and the potential external threat. These sectors are assigned to four field armies, the first three of which would come under NATO command in the event of a NATO reinforced alert.

-- The four field armies are headquartered in Turkey's largest city Istanbul; in Malatya in southeastern Anatolia with a defensive mission facing Syria, Iraq, and Iran; in Erzincan in eastern Anatolia covering the borders with Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan; and in Izmir on the Aegean coast, established in mid-1970s amid growing tensions with neighbouring Greece.

* NAVY:

-- The navy has among its fleet 13 submarines, 20 frigates, 21 fast patrol boats, 21 mine sweepers or hunters or layers, 52 various landing ships.

* AIR FORCE:

-- Turkish Air Forces have 19 combat squadrons, two reconnaissance squadrons, five training squadrons, six transportation squadrons, one tanker squadron, and eight surface to air missile (SAM) squadrons. These units are organized into two tactical air forces -- 1st TAF HQ in Eskisehir in western Turkey and 2nd TAF HQ in Diyarbakir in the southeast. Turkey has over 440 combat capable aircraft.

Sources: Reuters/Military Balance 2006/Turkish Armed Forces/allaboutturkey.com

Answer 2

It won't help anything other than the domestic position of the Turkish government. The Turkish govt is under pressure from the military to do something about the Kurdish rebels basing out of Iraq. The military has a history of overthrowing govts it deems as too weak or not secular enough and I believe that the current PM has ties to Turkish Islamists.

As far as I can see, it has nothing to do with oil. I wish the Kurds would just lie low and continue to develop their portion of Iraq. I know that there is centuries of bad blood between the Turks and Kurds, but given everything else going on in the region, how is this good for the Kurds overall?

As far as what the US is trying to accomplish, it is trying to convince the Iraqis to set aside their tribalism and factionalism and build a country that will benefit all. I think the Iraqis are slowly realizing that a three-way civil war is not in their best interests. The question is: will they come around in time?

Answer 3

Ask Nancy Pelosi, she's the main one manipulating things so that Turkey might decide to invade Northern Iraq.
From Turkey's point of view, they want to end the Kurdish problem. Kurds in Turkey as well as Iraq and Iran want independence and are not overly respectful of the Turkish government. I hope Turkey doesn't start on another genocide, like the Ottomans did with the Armenians....
I'm not saying Turkey is totally in the wrong about the Kurds; it has to be a serious problem to have a section of your country where they don't obey the law, for whatever reason. And I don't presume to know the best solution.
But a Turkish invasion of the Kurds would certainly have repercussions in Iraq, where the Kurds are doing better now than much of the rest of the country.
This would of course have repercussions all over the Middle East and the World.

Answer 4

It'll help Turkey a lot, because they've been getting attacked Palestinian-terrorist-style by the Kurds living in Iraq, and the Iraqi government can't do anything about it.

The U.S. would prefer that Turkey didn't invade, because Northern Iraq is supposedly one of the "stable" regions, and it would be an admission of another failure on the part of the Bush Administration.

Oil doesn't play much into it this time around.

Answer 5

Ask Congress they instigated Turkey into not cooperating with the USA. I have no clue, except they want a few rebels. The oil factor is getting old. Oil went up to 86 dollars a barrel. The consumer will pay for this. The U.S. is attempting to establish some rule in the country for the people in Iraq. A thing these people apparently does not want.

Answer 6

Turkey is not after the PKK they are after Kurdistan. by invading the country they can make it unstable and hard for any government to be established. which means it doesn't solve any problem, in fact it creates problems because it serves Turkeys interests, and the Arabs who have an eye on Kurdistan, and Iran who doesn't want an ally of US at its door step. Turkey has even gone as far as bombing their own people and blaming it on the Kurds so that the Turks and the west will continue to hate Kurds.

the PKK has nothing to do with the Iraq Kurdistan, the attacks took place at the heart of Turkey which means these problems are within Turkey it self and nothing to do with its neighboring countries. the PKK has been in these areas for over 10 years untouched, however recently the government of Iraq said they wanted to divide their country into 3 to put an end to the violent. this means a Kurdish country at their door step. they simply hate Kurds and wont let that happen, everyone hates Kurds in the middle east that's why the west will have to protect them and that's why they are such good allays with the west.

Answer 7

Turkey wants to chase Kurdish terrorists who have killed Turkish soldiers into Iraq. General Pershing invaded Mexico in 1916 (?) under the direction of President Wilson, with 12,000 US soldiers to go after Pancho Villa, after Villa slaughtered Americans in Columbus, NM.

If Turkey can capture these terrorists, then the situation should be resolved quickly. And the Kurdish leadership would be smart to hand them over to Turkey.

Oil has little to do with the situation.

Answer 8

Why does everyone have such a problem with OIL? Do you use oil? Do you understand the importance of oil for our country and economy, as well as the rest of the world? When it comes down to it, I want us to have the best position for resources including oil. If you have such a problem w/ it you should stop using oil and oil based products, although that is probably impossible. Sooner or later we will go to war directly for oil.

Answer 9

Who said they want to help when the invade? Oil is NOT a factor.

Answer 10

It will help turkey rid themselves of Kurdish separatists who have been using Iraq as safe-haven.

U.S. is trying to establish stability.

National Security = Oil , read up on WW2... japan attacked us over oil.