KurdistanObserver.com
Once Again, Turkish General Lies To Himself And To His
People
Analysts question US role in Turkey's Iraq withdrawal
ANKARA, March 1, 2008 (AFP) - Turkey's top general said the withdrawal of
troops from Iraqi Kurdistan was not based on political concerns, but analysts on
Saturday questioned whether US pressure had accelerated the end of a ground
offensive against Kurdish rebels.
In a decision that surprised many, the Turkish army on Friday announced that it
had ended a week-long operation to hunt Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
guerrillas in the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, pulling its forces out in the
early hours of the day.
The withdrawal came a day after US President George W. Bush urged Turkey to end
the incursion "as quickly as possible" and visiting US Defense Secretary Robert
Gates personally put pressure on Turkish leaders during talks in Ankara.
"What happened at the last minute?" asked the popular Aksam daily, recalling
Ankara's refusal to set a timetable for a pull-out and assertions to Gates that
Turkish forces would stay in Iraq as long as necessary.
"Bush told us to leave and we did. One could not vacate his hotel room so
quickly, in such panic," commentator Yilmaz Ozdil wrote in the mass-circulation
Hurriyet daily.
The popular Vatan newspaper went so far as to call the withdrawal "degrading" in
its editorial.
In an interview published in the popular Milliyet daily, the head of the Turkish
general staff denied the "unfair" criticism. He said the withdrawal had begun
long before Gates's visit, but had not been announced for tactical reasons.
"This was a decision taken on military reasons altogether. There was not even a
hint from politicians or foreigners to withdraw," General Yasar Buyukanit said.
"No one said withdraw," added Buykanit.
"One third of our forces were inside Turkey on Wednesday, but it would have been
murder to announce the withdrawal then.
But many here remain unconvinced that Turkish General was lying to himself and
to his people.
Skeptics noted that a first text of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's
monthly television address, distributed Friday but embargoed until the evening,
said the operation was continuing even after Baghdad had confirmed the pullout.
A few hours later, his office distributed a second text of the speech that
mentioned the withdrawal.
The abrupt end to the operation is a major setback for the government and the
army that could have consequences in its struggle against the PKK which has
waged a 23-year bloody separatist campaign, Vatan claimed.
"The unexpected withdrawal could embolden" the PKK which has been waging a
bloody campaign for self-rule in Turkey's Kurdish-populated southeast since
1984, it said.
Some analysts suggested that the United States' image in the eyes of the Turkish
public opinion could take a turn for the worse, hitting bilateral ties.
Even though Washington appeared to be on Ankara's side, it was concerned that
the incursion could spill into a wider conflict between Turkish forces and the
Iraqi Kurds, its staunch supporters in Iraq.
Turkey has long accused Iraqi Kurds of providing the PKK with a safe haven and
weapons.
"The US was left between its two allies...When it saw that its own interests
were under risk, it told Turkey to leave," Milliyet said.
