The Turkish parliament yesterday voted to empower the government to carry out a cross-border assault on Kurdish guerrillas in Iraq.
The Daily Telegraph says fighters from the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK) have "killed 15 Turkish soldiers and 12 civilians" in the last three weeks. In its leader, the paper says the Turkish army wants to set up a protection zone in northern Iraq. While rejecting that solution it suggests that "limited strikes could deplete the PKK's ranks and destroy their bases. While the risks are considerable, this may prove to be Turkey's only viable response to outrageous provocation."
The FT reports the opposition of the US president, George Bush, to such an incursion and that "Ankara appeared ready to give the Iraqi government another opportunity to act against the PKK".
The Guardian also reports that the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "quickly pointed out that the vote did not signify an operation was imminent" but warned it represented "a blank cheque for military action".
The Independent calls it a vote "to open [a] new front in the Iraq war", but says: "A Turkish army offensive would be unlikely to achieve anything against the PKK guerrillas who can easily disappear into the rugged mountain terrain of the Qandil mountains."
The Times carries an interview with Murat Karayilan, the leader of the PKK armed wing, who says the vote was motivated by "political aims" and accused Turkish troops of "killing the civilians and blaming the rebels" to win approval for a cross-border assault. "The war will not only happen in Iraqi Kurdistan but also Turkish Kurdistan and the cities of Turkey. That is why we hope that the Turkish generals and politicians will not follow such a crazy idea," he tells the Times.
