What Turkey really wants is to pressure the United States and Iraq into taking action against the PKK. Diplomats argue that the regional government of Iraqi Kurdistan and the U.S. military are responsible for curbing the Kurdish insurgents and have the means to do so. The first part of that argument is certainly true, and some U.S. officials concede that the Bush administration has probably not put enough pressure on its Iraqi Kurdish allies to move against the PKK.
When you then read this next Washington Post article, Iraq Vows to Help Turkey Halt Rebel Attacks, it appears that their hesitation could have netted some of the desired results:
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki issued a statement in Baghdad promising to close the offices of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, news services reported.
"The PKK is a terrorist organisation and we have taken a decision to shut down their offices and not allow them to operate on Iraqi soil. We will also work on limiting its terrorist activities which are threatening Iraq and Turkey," the statement said.
What is not being reported widely here in our media is what is happening in Iran, as this International Herald Tribune article, Kurdish militants' other front: Iran points out:
Yet out of the public eye, a chillingly similar battle has been under way on the Iraqi border with Iran. Kurdish guerrillas ambush and kill Iranian forces and retreat to their hideouts in Iraq. The Americans offer Iran little sympathy - Tehran even says Washington aids the Iranian guerrillas, an accusation that the United States denies. True or not, that conflict, like the Turkish one, has explosive potential.
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