Washington: The US fears a war within a war as Turkey sent more than 1,000 troops
into Northern Iraq to bolster its military presence and promised to send more to
prevent Iraqi Kurds from creating an independent state.
Turkey moved 1,000 soldiers into Northern Iraq on March 21, a Turkish military
official said. The mechanised infantry unit, which included armoured personnel
carriers, crossed into Iraq near the town of Cukurca, where the borders of Turkey,
Iraq and Iran converge.
The military is also shifting some 5,000 soldiers to the border region, the official
said on condition of anonymity. Thousands of troops are camped near the town of
Silopi, close to the border and about 20 miles South of the town of Cizre.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on March 21 that there was no need for
Turkish troops in Northern Iraq, where the Kurds live but Washington desperately
needed over-flight rights over Turkey and did not protest too much over the Turkish
action.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, however, insisted Turkey was determined to
send in a large force.
"Turkish soldiers will go in'', Gul told reporters, adding Turkey's objectives
were "Iraq's territorial integrity'' and containing within Iraq any refugee flow
caused by the war. "Turkey has no designs whatsoever on Iraq's territory,'' he
added.
PTI
