TURKEY SHOULD TRY TO ISOLATE PKK INSTEAD OF ATTACK

Turkey has threatened to enter Iraq to root out separatists of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) who engage in attacks inside Turkey. The powerful Turkish military is focused on the immediate task of stopping deadly attacks. But the situation in Iraq is worse and it could deteriorate still further if Turkey decides to go ahead with its plans for possible incursion.

The Kurdish leadership in northern Iraq that controls the area seems to be less concerned with PKK attacks in Turkey. Their eyes are set on the December referendum that will decide the Kurdish control over the oil-rich Iraqi city of Kirkuk, and they would never like to lose the support of any Kurd despite his or her affiliation to a terrorist group like the PKK. Once Kurds gain control of Kirkuk, they will think about an independent country called Kurdistan that someday might absorb the large Kurdish minority of Turkey. The recent threats by Turkey to use force against the PKK in Iraq could be due to the assumption that if the PKK can launch attacks while Iraqi Kurds are still part of a united Iraq, it would be even easier for them to attack Turkey once they have an independent territory. Therefore, Turkey's leadership and military consider striking first before this happens. Many experts believe that a decisive blow to the PKK would not be so easy because of the difficult terrain and the PKK’s knowledge about the area.

United States occupation of Iraq has so far made the Kurds come out as real winners. When dozens of people are being killed every day throughout Iraq, the Kurdish dominated areas remain relatively calm and unaffected by the deadly violence. For a long time, the United States has considered Turkey to be one of its most trusted allies in the region; but now, Iraqi Kurds are proving to be even friendlier and important.

Turkey cannot just sit idly and let its people die from the hands of PKK terrorists. There must be a way and a military solution is not the only way to handle the matter. Due to PKK terrorist attacks, the world sympathizes with Turkey, but once the Turkish army crosses the border to Iraq, many will denounce it.

Turkey has successfully maintained peace in its Kurdish regions through dialog, granting Kurds the freedom to use their language, local governance rights and respecting human rights. If Turkey had used bullying tactics against the Kurds by not granting them their legitimate rights, then it would have been a different story.

Now, attacks are coming from outside Turkey; otherwise it would have been from inside the country and this would have made a huge difference in the volume of the violence. One must also not forget that a few decades ago when suicide bombing was unheard of in the world, it was started by PKK separatists in Turkey and even women were used. Now this is not the case and Turkish Kurds have stopped this practice because they have been given rights to live respectfully. Most Kurdish people live peacefully in Turkey and reject Kurdish nationalism. Terrorist groups can never achieve their goals if the common people are living peacefully and happy with a given situation. They can only be successful if there is a bad situation and people are forced to live in a manner and do things against their wishes. A terrorist group will use such a situation to its favor and get sympathy and reinforcement from the population. Turks should be worried about the PKK's growing terrorist activities, but they have a solid backing from the people that gives Turkey a great edge over the terrorists.

All countries have the right to defend themselves from an enemy and Turkey is not an exception. However, instead of going for a sole solution to end PKK attacks in Turkey by using force, Turkey needs an international coalition to isolate the PKK in Iraq. The United States can play an important role and Turkey could also seek the help of the United Nations and European Union and put pressure on the Iraqi Kurdish leadership to stop the PKK from attacking Turkey. The war on terror should also seek to stop militant terrorist groups (the PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the US, Turkey, NATO and the EU) from trying to achieve their objectives through brutal actions. Turkey needs to show the world its stance more vigorously and effectively.

This does not mean that Turkey needs someone's permission to defend itself or that it is a weak country. But today's world is like a universal village and countries are interlinked with one another. Turkey is indeed a very important country of the world and any of its actions will have huge impacts.

It is up to Turkey to decide what is best for itself; but if military action were to create a complex situation than it would be better to choose an option that would solve the problem without any bitter consequences.