Turkey dips a toe into Kurdistan:
Several thousand Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq early Wednesday to chase Kurdish guerrillas who operate from bases there, Turkish security officials told The Associated Press.
Two senior security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said the raid was limited in scope and that it did not constitute the kind of large incursion that Turkish leaders have been discussing in recent weeks.
“It is not a major offensive and the number of troops is not in the tens of thousands,” one of the officials told the AP by telephone. The official is based in southeast Turkey, where the military has been battling separatist Kurdish rebels since they took up arms in 1984. The officials did not say where the Turkish force was operating in northern Iraq, nor did he say how long they would be there.
It’s interesting that this should take place just after the world leaders met in Turkey this past weekend. It sounds like someone might have gotten a green light. However, the situation is very delicate, as the unrest with between the military and the AKP is unlikely to settle down if the Turks get into a shooting war with the Kurds, especially if American troops get drawn into it.