The U.S. military has flown the unarmed Predators from Iraqi bases since 2007 and shared the planes’ surveillance video with Turkey as part of a secretive joint crackdown against fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. Unless a new home for the Predators is found, however, the counterterrorism partnership could cease by Dec. 31, when all U.S. forces are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq.
The U.S. military has flown the unarmed Predators from Iraqi bases since 2007 and shared the planes’ surveillance video with Turkey as part of a secretive joint crackdown against fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. Unless a new home for the Predators is found, however, the counterterrorism partnership could cease by Dec. 31, when all U.S. forces are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq.
Note EU-Digest: Since 2007, the United States has given the Turkish military video surveillance from Predator drones flying over northern Iraq so Turkey can launch attacks on Kurdish militant hideouts. U.S. diplomatic cables obtained by the anti-secrecy website Wikileaks provide a detailed inside look at how Turkey and the U.S. have collaborated to fight the militant group, known as the PKK. Although the U.S. government and the EU officially labels the PKK a terrorist organization, the group has not targeted American or European interests.
The U.S. military has flown the unarmed Predators from Iraqi bases since 2007 and shared the planes’ surveillance video with Turkey as part of a secretive joint crackdown against fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. Unless a new home for the Predators is found, however, the counterterrorism partnership could cease by Dec. 31, when all U.S. forces are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq.
The U.S. military has flown the unarmed Predators from Iraqi bases since 2007 and shared the planes’ surveillance video with Turkey as part of a secretive joint crackdown against fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. Unless a new home for the Predators is found, however, the counterterrorism partnership could cease by Dec. 31, when all U.S. forces are scheduled to withdraw from Iraq.
Since 2007, the United States has given the Turkish military video surveillance from Predator drones flying over northern Iraq so Turkey can launch attacks on Kurdish militant hideouts. U.S. diplomatic cables obtained by the anti-secrecy website Wikileaks provide a detailed inside look at how Turkey and the U.S. have collaborated to fight the militant group, known as the PKK. Although the U.S. government and the EU officially labels the PKK a terrorist organization, the group has so far not targeted American or European interests.
