US, Turks Review
Cooperation Plans After US Command In Baghdad Gets Late Word Of Bombing Plan
The Associated Press
December 20, 2007
WASHINGTON: U.S. and Turkish military officials were working to streamline
procedures for any future attacks against PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan after top
American officials in Baghdad were angered about how Sunday's Turkish bombing
unfolded.
Americans have been providing Turkey with intelligence to go after the Kurdish
guerrillas, and a "coordination center" has been set up in Ankara so Turks,
Iraqis and Americans can share information, officials have said.
But State Department and Defense Department officials in Washington and Baghdad
said top U.S. commanders in Iraq did not know about the incursion until the
first of two waves of Turkish planes were already on their way — either crossing
the border or already over it.
The Turkish military did not inform the American military as quickly as had been
agreed. That meant the U.S. had to rush to clear air space for the incursion,
two defense officials and a State Department official said on condition of
anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
One Washington official said the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus,
was angered by the development. Another said American diplomats complained to
the Turks about it.
The Turks replied they were chasing guerrillas and there had not been time for
notification earlier, according to a senior State Department official. "They
said it was hot pursuit," the U.S. official said.
"There are supposed to be coordinating mechanisms for this kind of thing with us
and the Iraqis, and whatever happens in the heat of the moment, they have to
tell us in a reasonable and timely manner," the official added. "We have told
them it would be extremely helpful if they were more forthcoming on the
notification."
Turkey's ambassador to Washington, Nabi Sensoy, said Wednesday the strike
against targets of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, was made possible by
intelligence from the U.S.
"There's no doubt that this operation was due to the information shared by the
United States of America," he said at a news conference.
Under an agreement between the countries, Turkey is to analyze U.S. data, decide
whether it will take military action, then notify the U.S. of its plan, one
official said. Sensoy said he was "not aware of any direct complaint" over the
timing of Turkey's notification.
Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman Wednesday disputed there was a
problem, saying "the right people knew at the time." He declined to elaborate.
None of the officials gave details about precisely what procedures had been
agreed to. But one noted that the process is complex because it involves Turkey,
Iraq, the U.S. and potentially neighboring governments such as Tehran because
some PKK camps are near the Iranian border.
For the U.S. alone, the issue cuts across two military commands — the European
Command that takes in Turkey and the Central Command, which is managing the war
in Iraq.
"It starts in Ankara (with the Turkish military informing the U.S. military) ...
then goes up the chain, then the air space is de-conflicted," or cleared, one
Washington official said. "It was the Turks who on the first go-around did not
give the desired lead time."
It was the American military in Baghdad that ended up notifying the Iraqi
government that planes had already been sent to strike PKK positions inside
their country.
The Iraqi parliament on Monday condemned the bombing, calling it an "outrageous"
violation of Iraq's sovereignty that killed innocent civilians.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said his government thought Turkey would
coordinate with it before striking the guerrillas inside Iraqi Kurdistan.
Sensoy dismissed the Iraqi complaint, saying Turkey has been unhappy with
cooperation from Iraq's central government and its regional Kurdish government
in the north. The process for coordinating among the United States, Iraq and
Turkey is not working, he said.
Some reports said there were up to 50 planes involved Sunday, which would be the
largest aerial attack in years against the outlawed PKK group. Others put the
number at a much less, and Sensoy said there were 24 aircraft.
The Turkish army also sent soldiers about 1.5 miles into Southern Kurdistan an
overnight operation on Tuesday, Kurdish officials said. Kurdish officials said
the Turkish troops left Iraq about 15 hours later.
