Following last week’s condemnation of Turkish military deployments into Iraq, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to be digging in even more, insisting that Turkey will leave those troops in Iraq no matter what.
Turkey’s deployment into Iraq earlier this month was presented as a “training” operation aimed at Kurdish Peshmerga forces. They claimed the Iraqi government had approved the deployment, though Iraq insists that is not the case. They have since promised to redeploy to Kurdish territory.
The Arab League insisted the deployment is a threat to Iraqi sovereignty, even if the troops are sent into Iraqi Kurdistan, while Erdogan says the troops are vital to preparing the Kurds to fight against ISIS.
Erdogan went on to condemn Iran and Russia for backing the Assad government against ISIS, saying if they hadn’t done so, “we would not be discussing an issue like Syria.” Turkey too was an ally of Syria before the civil war, but ditched them almost immediately, endorsing regime change in the hope that Arab nationalists would tamp down Kurdish secessionism in northeast Syria. This proved incorrect, as northeast Syria is now effectively an independent Kurdish state.
Time for Iraq to make clear they won't tolerate this.
Maybe Iraq can't politically tolerate this incursion into their county but they have no choice as long as the US coddles and capitulates to Tukey's blackmailing of NATO and Europe (provoking Russia by shooting down one of its plains, orchestrating a mass exodus of refugees from Turkey into Europe, etc.). The US decides if Turkey stays or goes and so far the tough guys and gals of DC led by Obama have a deep crush on the authoritarian Turks and will die supporting them to the bitter end. Once again, poor us, they don't know what they're getting themselves in for: another endless bleeding wound in the US body politic and economy which well be imposed the country by the greedy, power-hungry militarists running the US.
Well, that should fix things… That's like Obama saying "no boots on the ground"…except for the "advisers" who are fitted out in full combat attire and weapons…but no battalions.
Come on, the Iraqis can't even hold onto their largest cities against a few hundred sandal wearing goat herders. And I don't expect Erdogan to quake in his guccis.
I really don't know enough about the Iraq situation. But giving Erdogan this sort of leeway isn't a good idea. Isn't the media reporting that Iraq just defeated IS in Ramadi? So I'm sure they could give whatever Turkish force is in Iraq a hard time.
It's simple, ask Russia for missiles and training. Be prepared to attack them then send an example and target some heavy equipment as a demonstration. As long as it's on Iraqi soil.
Russia and Syria need to do the same and shut the border from the Syrian side. Their will be no escort of ISIS out of Mosul. There will be no alliance with Kurdistan in an attempt to control Kurdistan resources. Also I would target the pipelines at the Syrian border.
Iraq should evict Turkish forces if it is valid they were not asked to be there. It may be to much though for Iraq to handle, fighting Isis at the same time. Iraq is really weak at this time and national unity almost non existence.