AMERICA’S WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE KURDISH ISSUE IN TURKEY AND IRAQ
Tem 3, 2009 | AMERICA’S WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE KURDISH ISSUE IN TURKEY AND IRAQ için yorumlar kapalı
Turkey Analyst
Tülin Daloğlu
For a long time, the relationship between Turkey and Iraq has been defined by the fact that Iraqi Kurds provide a safe haven for the separatist Kurdish terrorist organization, the PKK. Yet Gen. Ilker Basbug, Turkey’s Chief of Staff, said recently in Washington that Iraq’s Kurdish region is no longer a safe place for PKK terrorists. that gain cannot yet be counted as permanent. Next January, Iraq will see general elections as well as a referendum on controversial issues like the future of Kirkuk. With U.S. troops withdrawing from Iraqi cities, escalating high-profile attacks raise concerns about the Iraqi forces’ ability to secure the country. In this make it-or-break it year for Iraq, the Kurds must decide the price they will pay to retain Kirkuk inside their territory. They will also have to decide whether they are willing to risk a possible breakaway from Iraq.
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