TURKS IN IRAQ? UNIFIED MILITIAS? U.S wants 10,000 Turkish soldiers in Iraq, stationed in the most troublesome Sunni areas (thinking that fellow-Muslims would not be attacked as Americans are). This is really risky; Turks tyrannized over Iraqis for 400 years, and memories there are long. (Turkish govt. says yes, for $8 billion bribe; but ordinary Muslim Turks are furious!)
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Also, the Northern Kurds hate and fear the present-day Turks; the Kurds are used to semi-autonomy--and even if Turks are stationed outside their area, they fear that Turks will use excuse of securing their supply lines through Kurdish territories. (Turks don't want even semi-autonomy for Iraq Kurds--especially with all that oil available--for fear their own subjugated Kurds will demand the same.)
Turks already have 5000 troops wandering around Kurd area, supposedly hunting down Kurdish rebels from Turkey. And, to persuade the Turks to send troops, U.S. is allowing them to use military force against such 'rebels'.[Reuters2OCT] No wonder the Iraq Kurds are angry. (What with 30,000 armed, trained troops, the Kurds' views should get some respect.)
The Turks say that the number of troops sent depends on where they're sent. They want to go to the province NEXT TO KURD REGION! And they say they'll return fire if the neighboring Kurds fire on them ! /Reuters13OCT /
Turkish generals say that objections from Iraqi Kurds won't stop Turkish convoys from passing through Kurdish areas; "U.S. is Authority in Iraq, & they have no reservations..."/BBC13OCT/
With friends like this, does U.S. need enemies?
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The Iraq (puppet) Council still opposes Turk troops in Iraq, against their Master's wishes. /Reuters 13OCT/ The Council proposes instead that U.S. turn over security duties to unified force from all the now-separate militias (e.g., 30,000 armed Kurds). But U.S. says it fears a civil war between the 3 groups (Kurds, Sunnis,Shiites)./FinTimes12Oct/
Actually, of course,U.S. may fear such a unified militia turning against our troops!
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U.S. solution is training a new army. But they now have only 35,000; they need 70,000; and these can't be trained for a year or so. (Also, they may show as little taste for combat with the guerillas as do our new policemen, who seem to disappear in moments of crisis.)