Turkey implies the U.S. is arming Kurdish terrorists
MUSTAFA OZER/AFP Recent reports that U.S. weapons have made their way into the hands of Kurdish insurgents have sparked what diplomats euphemistically call a “healthy exchange of views” between the United States and its longtime ally, Turkey. Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy stopped short of implying that the U.S. government had been directly placing the guns ...
MUSTAFA OZER/AFP
Recent reports that U.S. weapons have made their way into the hands of Kurdish insurgents have sparked what diplomats euphemistically call a “healthy exchange of views” between the United States and its longtime ally, Turkey. Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy stopped short of implying that the U.S. government had been directly placing the guns into the hands of Kurdish fighters, but Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül could not let the opportunity get away without making inflammatory comments about what this could mean for U.S.-Turkish relations: If this claim is confirmed, he said, relations will be “shattered.” U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson adamantly denied the claim.
There has been no shortage of statements from Turkish politicians meant to incite the Turkish public over the PKK threat from northern Iraq. In the lead-up to a major election to be held this coming Sunday, the last thing Gül’s AKP party wants to do is appear weak on terrorism. According to Turkish sources, the Turkish military has launched investigations into the origin of PKK weaponry and so far, Kurdish fighters are alleged to be holding guns from former Soviet states, China, Italy, Spain, Germany, England, and the U.S. (Gee, that really narrows it down.) Gül did acknowledge that many U.S. and European weapons are sent to Iraq as part of the effort to rebuild the country’s ragtag armed forces, and perhaps these guns can effortlessly pass through several hands and end up in the Kurdish north. Great detective work there, Mr. Gül.
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