Of 165,000 soldiers, the US now plans to keep some 50,000 support troops in Iraq until a complete pullout in 2011 in fulfillment of President Barack Obama’s campaign promise. Although calling it “a milestone in the Iraq war,” President Obama avoided declaring it a victory for the US and its foreign policy.
But no sooner had it ended one operation than the Pentagon announced another, Operation New Dawn. And no sooner had Turkey replaced its former inadequate chief of General Staff than his replacement asked permission for new cross-border operations. But the TSK has carried out cross-border operations countless times to no avail. The Turkish media have revealed recordings of commanders discussing the fact that the air forces and army have often bombed mountain wildernesses and desolate shepherd shelters with no more than three or four terrorist casualties to show for it.
With almost 250,000 security personnel, made up of the TSK, elite police and village guards, Turkey does not seem to be about to change numbers or deployment in the Southeast. The public has not seen the fulfillment of the democratic, cultural and security amendments of the defunct “Kurdish initiative,” in which the government promised to introduce cultural rights and freedoms for Kurdish people.
While insurgent attacks continue killing Iraqis and US troops and undermining confidence in the Iraqi government and security forces, nothing is different in southeastern Turkey, with terrorists killing troops, policemen and civilians. Despite tragic images of terrorist attacks on TSK outposts, the team of the former general Chief of Staff still has not tried to furnish a plausible explanation of why the TSK did not dispatch support to the soldiers who fought and died against the attacking terrorists.
In the Iraq war, almost 5,000 American troops died, and tens of thousands were maimed or wounded. It is estimated that at least 100,000 Iraqi civilians and tens of thousands of soldiers and militants were killed. So far, the cost to the US is almost $750 billion, far beyond the initial estimate of $50 billion. Turkey has so far lost almost 45,000 people as well as $3 billion for every year of the conflict between the Kurdish separatists and the security forces.
The American press now discusses the false pretenses on which the invasion was based -- the unsubstantiated claims about stockpiled weapons of mass destruction -- and the results of the policy of “pre-emptive war.” The media argue that these “false premises, the botched and bloody occupation and revelations of torture at prisons” have badly damaged America’s “moral authority” and led to escalated sectarian violence, daily bombings and a dysfunctional government in Iraq.
The situation is not very different in southeast Turkey, which has seen daily provocations, street clashes and violence, extrajudicial killings and torture and despicable events in the former Diyarbakır Prison and other JİTEM units. Was it worth losing so many human lives, resources and years needed for progress and development? Was it worth such loss of love, trust and harmony between people?
Despite the pullout, Iraq is not over yet for the US, and the near future does not look rosy. Hundreds of millions of dollars in new staff, diplomatic outposts and more private security forces are still required. Likewise, should the TSK end their military operations and let civilians take over tasks in the Southeast today, it will still take years and a huge amount of financial and human resources to repair the damage done.
Moreover, experts warn us that almost half of all nations that emerge from civil strife relapse into conflict within about five years. So unless we commit to diplomacy, democracy, the supremacy of law, societal justice and education, rather than military security only, the Southeast will fall into chaos at the hands of Turkish, Kurdish and international interest groups.
Peace is at all times and places better, and waging war is never the best option, whether for Americans, Iraqis, Turks or Kurds. It is high time to bring the fighting to a close. The Turkish government must not be beguiled and trapped by the harsh rhetoric of ultranationalists and separatists into failing to seek ways to end the conflict. It is their duty to all the citizens of Turkey to find a peaceful and rigorous resolution to the conflict and clashes between brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces.
