LONDON, Dec 19, 2007 (AFP) - Turkey can probably never defeat the PKK, and
cross-border attacks on its bases in Iraqi Kurdistan are almost certainly
futile, a leading think-tank said Wednesday.
Chatham House, noting that the Iraqi government is cautious about confronting
the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), added that Kurdish nationalism is
experiencing a popular and "political renaissance" in the whole region.
"The PKK is a well-motivated force that enjoys local support and the protection
afforded by the inaccessible terrain of the border regions," it said in a
report, released a day after Turkish troops entered Iraqi Kurdistan.
"Turkey can probably never defeat the PKK and any further incursions across the
border are likely to be futile," it added.
The London think-tank said the Iraqi government "is reluctant to tackle the PKK
because of the military risk involved.
"Even if it managed to flush them from the mountains, this might leave the door
open for radical Islamists to turn the region into their own Tora Bora-style
stronghold," it noted.
Chatham House noted that Turkey's recent air strikes on PKK bases in Iraq
demonstrate the growing significance of Kurdish politics in the four states with
major Kurdish populations: Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
"Kurds are experiencing a political renaissance in the Middle East," it said.
