US pledges to flush out PKK before May

Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, gave their word that the cooperation between Turkey and the United States will flush out the outlawed PKK terrorists by May, 2008, said the same source.

In a meeting with Turkish Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Ergin Saygun and General Staff Chief of Operations Gen. Nusret Taşdelen at General Staff headquarters in the capital, Cartwright and Petraeus evaluated the success of the real-time intelligence flow provided to Turkey by the US. The two countries had agreed to share intelligence on the PKK after US President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met in Washington earlier this month.

The two US generals expressed their opinion that cooperation between the two countries in the fight against the terrorist group would yield positive results very soon; possibly even earlier than May of next year.

Cartwright and Petraeus reiterated that the PKK is an enemy of both Turkey and the US. The generals said that a mechanism devised at the Nov. 5 meeting to fight the PKK would significantly aid Turkey's fight against the terrorist group. "The PKK will not be in its current position next May. It will not have the power to strike Turkey again from northern Iraq." Cartwright and Petraeus indicated, the source said.

They also expressed that Turkey had the right to launch a cross-border operation into northern Iraq for purposes of self-defense. The two US commanders expressed the opinion that an air-offensive into northern Iraq to root out terrorist bases there might be better than conducting an operation on land.

Turkey and the US should decide on the exact date and time of such an air operation in a coordinated manner so that Turkish warplanes will not run into US planes, the sides agreed. The US would also assist Turkey by not having its fighter jets fly in that zone and opening Iraqi airspace to Turkish planes.

Cartwright and Petraeus also reported that troops of the Kurdish administration in northern Iraq would retreat to their own positions as soon as Turkey launches a cross-border operation.

Reportedly, after Turkish warplanes hit PKK targets in northern Iraq, Turkish and US officials have agreed that instead of sending large amounts of troops to the region, Turkey should launch operations against the PKK camps using the 20 squads currently positioned in the Turkish military base in Bamerni in northern Iraq. This deal is considered the strongest indication of the fact that Turkey will not launch a comprehensive land operation into northern Iraq.

During the talks, the scope of Turkish air and land operations, too, was discussed. The officials reportedly found it more reasonable for Turkey to destroy first the PKK camps on Cudi Mountain and then raid the PKK camps in the Kandil Mountains as it is estimated that many camps there have already been deserted by the PKK due to the ongoing talks of a military incursion.

Büyükanıt briefs Erdoğan

Following the meeting between Turkish and US top military officials, Gen. Saygun and Gen. Taşdelen informed Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Büyükanıt, who in turn gave a briefing about the talks to Prime Minister Erdoğan. Turkey’s cross-border operation is expected to be launched before heavy weather conditions settle in the region, and in this respect, this week is regarded as critical.

The two US generals arrived in Turkey on Tuesday and met with the Turkish Armed Forces’ (TSK) second-in-command to discuss measures to crack down on the PKK in northern Iraq. “The issues of Iraq, the ongoing cooperation against the common enemy, the PKK, and comprehensive intelligence sharing were discussed,” the Turkish General Staff said in a brief statement posted on its Web site. Gen. Cartwright and Gen. Petraeus held talks with Turkish Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Saygun, the statement noted.

The private NTV news station said the Americans left for Iraq after the talks to meet the central government in Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdish administration of northern Iraq, where the PKK uses bases to launch attacks on Turkish targets across the border. Without denying or confirming the report, officials at the US Embassy in Ankara told Today’s Zaman they had no information regarding a recent trip to northern Iraq.