Turkey's parliament has overwhelmingly approved a cross-border attack into northern Iraq in pursuit of Kurdish guerrillas - which would open another front in the war in Iraq. The parliament in Ankara voted 507 to 19 in favour of ordering the army to launch an offensive across Turkey's south-eastern border in search of 3,500 PKK Turkish-Kurd rebels hiding in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan. The Turkish move deepens the sense of crisis over Turkey's slow motion build-up towards an attack that has already helped propel the price of oil to $88 (£44) a barrel this week. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the government in Ankara to back away from its threats of military action without looking weak. In Washington, President Bush spelled out US opposition to a Turkish invasion of northern Iraq. "We are making it very clear to Turkey that we don't think it is in their interest to send troops into Iraq," he said. Nato, of which Turkey is a member with the organisation's second biggest army, and the EU also urged restraint.
Turkey's parliament has overwhelmingly approved a cross-border attack into northern Iraq in pursuit of Kurdish guerrillas - which would open another front in the war in Iraq.
The parliament in Ankara voted 507 to 19 in favour of ordering the army to launch an offensive across Turkey's south-eastern border in search of 3,500 PKK Turkish-Kurd rebels hiding in the mountains of Iraqi Kurdistan.
The Turkish move deepens the sense of crisis over Turkey's slow motion build-up towards an attack that has already helped propel the price of oil to $88 (£44) a barrel this week. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the government in Ankara to back away from its threats of military action without looking weak.
In Washington, President Bush spelled out US opposition to a Turkish invasion of northern Iraq. "We are making it very clear to Turkey that we don't think it is in their interest to send troops into Iraq," he said. Nato, of which Turkey is a member with the organisation's second biggest army, and the EU also urged restraint.
The Turkish parliament gave the government authorization for a possible cross-border military operation into northern Iraq to crush Kurdish rebels despite opposition from the European Union, United States and Iraq. The resolution approved by a large majority of parliamentarians on Wednesday, Oct. 17, allows the government to order cross-border operations in order to deal with an estimated 3,500 rebels from the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) that are based in mountainous northern Iraq. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has played down expectations of an imminent offensive, but the parliamentary approval provides the legal basis for NATO's second biggest army to cross the border as and when it sees fit for one year.After the vote, the European Commission said it hoped Turkey would decide to respect the territorial integrity of Iraq.
The resolution approved by a large majority of parliamentarians on Wednesday, Oct. 17, allows the government to order cross-border operations in order to deal with an estimated 3,500 rebels from the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) that are based in mountainous northern Iraq.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has played down expectations of an imminent offensive, but the parliamentary approval provides the legal basis for NATO's second biggest army to cross the border as and when it sees fit for one year.After the vote, the European Commission said it hoped Turkey would decide to respect the territorial integrity of Iraq.
Kurdish Media
Kurdish rebels based in the rugged mountains along Iraq's northeastern border with Iran told Newsmax in exclusive interviews at secret guerilla bases that they have killed 200 Iranian Revolutionary Guards troops during clashes over the past two months. Guerilla leaders of the Party of the Free Life of Kurdistan, PJAK, said they have clashed with Iranian forces 21 times during this time. Iran has not admitted to the losses. The intense fighting began on Aug. 16, when Iran and Turkey began jointly shelling villages inside Iraq where rebels from those countries have their bases. Both Iran and Turkey are currently massing troops on their sides of the border with Iraq, in preparation for a ground and airborne assault on the rebel bases inside Iraq, according to published reports and information from local sources.
Kurdish rebels based in the rugged mountains along Iraq's northeastern border with Iran told Newsmax in exclusive interviews at secret guerilla bases that they have killed 200 Iranian Revolutionary Guards troops during clashes over the past two months.
Guerilla leaders of the Party of the Free Life of Kurdistan, PJAK, said they have clashed with Iranian forces 21 times during this time.
Iran has not admitted to the losses.
The intense fighting began on Aug. 16, when Iran and Turkey began jointly shelling villages inside Iraq where rebels from those countries have their bases.
Both Iran and Turkey are currently massing troops on their sides of the border with Iraq, in preparation for a ground and airborne assault on the rebel bases inside Iraq, according to published reports and information from local sources.
