Wednesday, August 07, 2002

The Game is Afoot
Well maybe. Hurriyet (translation by a_Turk on FreeRepublic) is reporting:
The countdown is on for the US attack on Iraq. Turkey has taken position in Northern Iraq in a blitz.

As concerns of an imminent US attack on Iraq grow day by day, Turkey has secured the Critical Bamerni airport in Northern Iraq.

Turkey has sent heavy machinery and electronic support equipment to the airport along with military and civil personnel who have made the airport available for military use in short order. Ankara, thereby, made it impossible for any other to strategically control the oil rich regions of Mosul and Kirkuk. Turkey has, additionally, established a umber of security checkpoints in northern Iraq.

This surprise development was reported by PUK leader Celal Talabani, who had been in Ankara on 8/7.

The security apparatus inside Iraq was expanded to include a number of forward bases. According to unofficial sources, Turkey has about 5000 soldiers in the region.

Another unofficial report suggests that there are a few Americans who come and go to the Airport.
See the article for a map. I have no idea as to the credibility of the Turkish newspapers.