Turkey-Northern Iraq

Be safe Cavit. That area is about to explode.

http://www.cnnturk.com/DUNYA/haber_detay.asp?PID=319&haberID=397484

This CNN Turk article (in Turkish) reads 3 Turkish members of the press operating in northern iraq were detained by the peshmerga and their materials confiscated.

Also, bump.

Today there had been a clash on the border according to the shots and news of DHA. As I guess, the area will become a conflict zone in next days.

eyes are on the border here in Turkey..

Turkey begin to artillery fire to PKK terrorits on the ıraqi border close to the Cukurca.
Edelman was in Turkey… Cavit what you think about last developments do you think that there will be operation to PKK camps in Iraq

The detention of the reporters has nothing alarming; they were Turkish journalists and went deep into Peshmerga positions at the border with Turkey. Operating freely in the Kurdish pre-dominantly south-eastern Turkey might be difficult as the military can impose several restrictions (as it has done in the past). I don’t know what would be the conditions in northern Iraq, I guess journalists would enjoy more freedom of action but more risks.

As the last clash shot by DHA and previous incidents show us, the PKK is willing to attract the Turkish Army into northern Iraq where they will confrount not their militants, but the Peshmergas…

I think a cross-border operation is now imminent, despite of Washington’s opposition. Above all, following the US House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee passing the “Armenian Genocide” resolution resulting to souring Turkey-US relations, Ankara would not anymore seek that much for an approval from the US, and the US might maybe shut eyes on a small-scale operation I guess.

It would be the right time (if not even late) now to go the the field if wanting to cover the upcoming incursion. Turkish and international media are already positioned in the Turkish province of Sirnak.

Thanks for your inputs. Tamer, I find any detention of journalists ‘alarming’ as a matter of principle.

Yes, this is a right point of view you have Cavit. But in the circumstances we’re living in, I can “understand” that a Turkish journalist is shortly detained by militants in northern Iraq if we take in consideration the Turkish-northern Iraq relations and the huge campaign managed by the Turkish media these days to legitimate a cross-border operation into northern Iraq. I don’t support the PKK or other organizations, but as a Turkish origin journalist working in the Turkish media, I don’t think the Turkish mainstream media’s attitude is “ethical” and “politically correct” as they are clearly using of the dead soldiers for politicaly motivated goals.

Well you can ask me which mainstream media company is totally independent; none is… that’s true and sad and a totally different matter to debate.

“Turkish Government Seeks Authorization for Cross-Border Iraq Operation”

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301748,00.html