"Spat With Turkey Makes Situation In Iraq Even Murkier
Just in case things were not dicey enough in Iraq, a budding diplomatic row with Turkey threatens to erode the relationship between the US and the country ABC World News called the 'crucial US ally just north of Iraq.' A House panel yesterday passed a resolution condemning the mass killing of Armenians at Turkish hands early in the 20th Century. The resolution, opposed by the Administration, called the event 'genocide,' apparently a very touchy issue for Turkey, which disagrees with a passion an 'obsession,' the Christian Science Monitor calls it. The heightened tensions, and the wave of anti-US outrage it sparked, come as Turks debate how to handle a second issue: a recent increase in terrorist attacks carried out by Kurdish militants operating from inside Iraqi territory. Both events, says the Monitor, 'are swiftly combining as a strategic tipping point in US-Turkey relations that could affect American forces in Iraq.' Turkey 'accuses the US and Iraqi Kurdish forces in northern Iraq of providing safe haven and military support for an estimated 3,000 PKK rebels, and not doing enough to stop cross-border attacks.' Now Turkey says it may take matters into its own hands, and send its own troops into Iraq."
More:USNews.com: Political Bulletin: Friday, October 12, 2007