WASHINGTON: There are about 60,000 Turkish troops along the country's southern
border, but the U.S. military is seeing no activity to suggest an imminent
offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, U.S. officials said.
As tensions mount between the U.S. and Turkey over a congressional resolution
condemning the killings of Armenians a century ago as genocide, the Pentagon is
both watching the border for troop movements, and planning for contingencies if
Turkey restricts access to critical supply routes there.
A U.S. military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the
sensitivity of the situation, said Friday that any offensive by Turkey into what
has been a relatively peaceful area of northern Iraq would likely involve
airstrikes and mortar fire.
But so far, the official said, there has been no evidence of Turkish soldiers
massing along the border. The number of troops there isn't unusual, the official
said.
U.S. military officials have said they believe they will get some type of
warning if the Turks launch an incursion into Iraq against the rebel Kurdistan
Workers' Party, or PKK. For years, the United States has routinely had military
representatives with the Turkish armed forces.
The United States has consistently argued against a Turkish offensive, pushing
instead for a broader diplomatic solution between Iraq and Turkey over the
problem of the rebel PKK.
But of equal concern, however, is what impact the congressional resolution will
have on U.S. military supply routes that have been used recently to move
much-needed armored vehicles to troops in Iraq.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee this week passed a resolution labeling the
World War I-era killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman Turks
genocide. Turkey has argued that the toll has been inflated and the killings
were the result of civil war and unrest.
Turkish authorities have not said whether further congressional action would
prompt Turkey to shut down Incirlik air base in southern Turkey, a major hub for
U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Turkey's Mediterranean port
of Iskenderun is also used to ferry goods to American troops.
And U.S. military officials said Friday that they have seen no indications of
repercussions yet from the Turks.
But the Pentagon has dusted off contingency plans that would reroute supplies
and arms if transportation through Turkey or across its airspace is restricted.
There is more "focused planning" as a result of the congressional action, the
official said.
One key impact could be on the delivery of mine-resistant ambush-protected
vehicles (MRAPs) that the Pentagon has been trying to rush to Iraq. The vehicles
give troops better protection against roadside bombs.
Officials are looking at plans to reroute those deliveries around Turkey if
needed. Other supply routes — including those used during the ramp up to the
invasion of Iraq in 2003 — could involve Kuwait and Jordan.
There also have been concerns that Turkey may cut off military contracts with
the U.S.
Some of Turkey's largest recent purchases through the Pentagon's foreign
military sales programs were $1.7 billion (€1.2 billion) for F-16 aircraft; $1.6
billion (€1.1 billion) to upgrade already owned F-16s, and to purchase four
Airborne Early Warning Aircraft (AWACS) with an overall value of about $3
billion (€2.1 billion).
Turkey also bought torpedoes in an $80 million (€56.5 million) sale as part of a
program to modernize its navy.
The U.S. each year budgets money under its foreign military financing program —
essentially money given to Turkey to buy U.S. military equipment. Turkey
received $34 million in budget year 2005 and $15 million in each of the next two
years under that program.
The U.S. also budgeted $3 million (€2.1 million) in each of the last three
fiscal years for Turkey in the international military education and training
program, according to the State Department. The money was used to help Turkey
transform its military to meet some European Union standards as well as provide
other training and skills.
