Ghosts of the past

By: Evren Deger
The New Anatolian (Turkish)

June 8, 2006 

• Will the PKK become a tool of the US?

• Will the US use the PKK to create unrest in Syria and Iran before possible attacks against these two countries?

The year is 1990. Saddam Hussein's forces invaded Kuwait on Aug. 2. In the aftermath, the international community took action.

Sanctions determined within the framework of the resolutions of the United Nations were implemented. First came economic sanctions and then… the first Gulf War.

But this was only the visible side of what has happened. Shortly after the invasion of Kuwait, a U.S. Army elite unit known as the Green Berets were deployed in northern Iraq. This unit, which was operational from Incirlik Airbase located in Turkey, served on different missions in northern Iraq. The Kurdish population of the region received theoretical and military training.

The final goal was unrest within the country in the aftermath of the war.

The first Gulf War began on Jan. 16, 1991, and lasted approximately two months. In the aftermath of the bombings that were watched by the whole world live on TV, Iraq took a step back and the war halted.

It didn't end, but halted...

Suddenly, Kurds trained by the Green Berets created tension in northern Iraq and in the aftermath, masses of people dramatically fled to the Turkish border. Thousands of Kurds migrated to Turkey.

And, the U.S. was in charge. Tent cities were formed, security maintained for the Kurds. As a result, a no-fly zone to the north of the 36th parallel was declared, and the Kurds returned home.

The year is 2005. Almost two years have passed since the toppling of the Saddam regime. Turkey has been involved in a series of efforts to end the presence of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), especially in northern Iraq, before and after the war. It received a series of pledges as a result of its every effort. But these pledges were never fulfilled.

On Monday Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug, who is visiting the United States, listed Turkey's demands:

"Time is up. We've been waiting patiently for more than two years. People on the street are waiting for the U.S. to take action. It's hard to tell the people to be patient for another two years."

Turkey is running out of patience. But this is only the tip of the iceberg. The U.S. is on good terms with the PKK in northern Iraq. They held meetings, but nothing concrete has emerged.

Moreover, two parties have links with the PKK, Syria and Iran. The two countries that the U.S. stipulated as targets after the Iraq operation.

Sudden clashes started to occur in both countries.

News reports reveal the beginning of a new era:

- Syrian police and nationalist Arabs in southwestern Kurdistan attacked houses and workplaces belonging to Kurds. Four died, and dozens of Kurds, 30 of them women, were wounded. According to local sources, hundreds of people were taken into custody and the majority of them were tortured.

- Iran reportedly launched an operation against the Kandil Mountains area and city of Piransehir near the Iraqi border. They bombed the PKK camps located in the mountains and arrested a number of people on charges of providing aid and shelter to the organization.

The U.S. seems to have found its new tool in the new order that it will establish in the Middle East. During this process, the PKK will be the tool used to create unrest in Iran and Syria.