As Turkey prepares hit and run operations in northern Iraq
Turkey is set to launch ground operations against the PKK in the spring and summer months and the Iraqi Kurds are giving out signals that they will make a great fuss. Ankara should forge some form of dialogue with the Iraqi Kurds to prevent the creation of a complicated situation.
Massoud Barzani has spoken at last saying his patience is running out as the Baghdad government remains relatively silent to the Turkish air raids against the PKK hideouts in northern Iraq.
In an interview with Al Arabiya TV Barzani lambasted the Maliki government for remaining a spectator to the Turkish raids in northern Iraq and said his patience is running out.
He also claimed the PKK did not exist in northern Iraq. He said PKK is an internal problem of Turkey but he is also ready to help to solve the issue.
It is clear that the people of the Kurdish region see how helpless their administration is in view of the Turkish raids and are frustrated. The Barzani administration is aware of this frustration and sees that the Americans are siding with Turkey on this issue so Massoud Barzani has decided to make some comments for internal consumption.
However, in today's world statements are heard all over the globe in matter of seconds and Turkey has reported taken note of Barzani's statement.
President Barzani only has to ask the Americans if the PKK exists in northern Iraq and he will get a positive answer. After all it is the Americans who are giving detailed and real time intelligence about the PKK whereabouts in northern Iraq. It is one thing to say the Kurdish administration cannot cope with the PKK menace but is is something else to say it does not exist in the region.
The Barzani interview comes as Turkish officials say while they have had to suffice with air raids against the PKK hideouts during the cold winter months they are now gearing up for the warmer months where they will launch ground operations against the PKK.
Turkey has to make it clear that that these ground operations will not be in the form of a massive occupation of Kurdish territories but will target the PKK hideouts and facilities and will be in the form of hit and run operations where special forces will fly in and out of the region hitting the PKK.
We have information from our own sources that there has been no real civilian casualties in northern Iraq. A women died in the first raid simply because she happened to be very close to a PKK target that that was destroyed. Now the Kurds residing near the PKK positions have fled and Turkey is left to deal with the PKK. So Barzani's concerns that Turkey will hurt civilians could be eased.
Turkey says our people have suffered with the presence of the PKK in northern Iraq. Now Turkey has to eliminate at least some of this source of suffering. The ideal situation would be for the Kurdish administration to help out militarily. But Barzani has ruled out this possibility.
However, land operations will be inevitable and this means Barzani has to cooperate by turning a blind eye to the operations. This is easier said tan done.
We are told by senior Kurdish sources in the Iraqi central government that they have had a very hard time restraining the Kurdish administration in view of the air raids against the PKK in northern Iraq. Now with land operations Baghdad says it will have a very hard task to impose its will on Barzani. They say the political situation will be getting very complicated in Baghdad in the months ahead and no one in Baghdad may have the means to ease the Kurdish anger.
This means Turkey has to find some form of accommodation with Barzani that the fuss to be created with ground operations will be minimal. This means realistic dialogue between Ankara and the Iraqi Kurds. It also means Ankara could use the good offices of President Jalal Talabani of Iraq.
