Kurdish Rebels Release 8 Turkish Soldiers

Turkey Remains Committed To An Offensive Into Northern Iraq To Target Rebel Hideouts

(AP)  Kurdish rebels on Sunday released eight Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq two weeks after capturing them in an ambush inside Turkey, private NTV television reported, citing Iraqi Kurdish officials.

A spokesman for the group holding the soldiers, the Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK, told The Associated Press by telephone that the eight were released Sunday morning.

"The eight were freed this morning at 7:30 and handed over to Iraqi Kurdish officials in the mountains," said Abdul-Rahman Chadarchi, a PKK spokesman.

The release came before Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets President Bush on Monday in Washington to discuss a possible cross-border offensive against the Kurdish rebel group.

Iraqi Kurdish officials confirmed that the soldiers were handed over to them and were in good health, NTV reported. The soldiers were expected to be sent to Turkey later Sunday.

The soldiers, accompanied by three Kurdish lawmakers from Turkey - who traveled to northern Iraq on Saturday to try to win their release - and Hussain Sinjari, the president of Tolerancy International, who has also been lobbying for their release, were on their way to the Iraqi city of Dohuk, pro-Kurdish Firat News Agency reported.

The U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Ross Wilson, also reportedly tried to secure the release of the soldiers, NTV said.

The soldiers were taken in an Oct. 21 ambush inside Turkish territory that also left 12 other soldiers dead. The ambush has been a key factor in the mounting pressure on Turkey's government to stage a cross-border offensive to fight Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq.

The release of the soldiers, however, was not expected to affect Turkish plans. Turkey's military and civilian leadership have repeatedly stressed their determination to stage an incursion if the U.S. or Iraq do not crack down on rebel hideouts in northern Iraq.

The ambush on Oct. 21 near the village of Daglica in Turkey's mountainous southeast outraged an already frustrated public.

Demonstrations erupted across the country and opposition leaders called for an immediate strike against rebel bases in Iraq, despite appeals for restraint from Iraq, the U.S. and European leaders.

The U.S. is pressing hard to keep Turkey from staging a cross-border offensive against the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in remote mountains of northern Iraq. The U.S. designates the PKK as an international terrorist organization.

The Oct. 21 attack occurred four days after the Turkish Parliament authorized the government to deploy troops across the border in Iraq, amid growing anger in Turkey at perceived U.S. and Iraqi failure to live up to pledges to crack down on the PKK.

Turkey now says it wants to hear specifics about what Washington is prepared to do to counter the rebel group, or Turkey will launch an attack. Rebel attacks against Turkish positions during the last month have left 47 dead, including 35 soldiers, according to government and media reports.

Rebels periodically cross the border to stage attacks in their war for autonomy for Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast. Nearly 40,000 people have died in the conflict since the rebels launched their first armed attack against a military unit in 1984.

[roach9703]

The possibility of a cross border incursion with 100,000 Turkish troops could be a trip wire to an out of control regional war. The U.N. Security Council should be involved here. If Turkey goes into the Kurdish Quarter, then Iran is likely to follow. This could explode the Shia/ Sunni war on a new level through out the region.
We need to do something about the Bull-in-the-China- closet Chimp-in-Chief!
What is the U.S. going to do if Iran and Turkey land up facing each other with Russia not far behind?

[fumay]

This issue show US have relation with terrorists over regional government in Nort of Iraq.
regional government in Nort of Iraq encourage the terrorists. this is the real.terrorists still live there. US have theatre in north of iraq.

Today have meeting Bush and Erdogan. Follow it.
we want to see action and you will se action. who will do it ?

[prinzowhales]

The attack served to give the Turkish fascists that both the US and Israel back an issue upon which to raise a hue and cry against the moderate Islamist government in Ankara. Notice how the US is urging restraint upon the Turks after the cross border attack on their forces while it backed the Israeli attack on Lebanon when its forces, which still occupied parts of Lebanon were captured in that country.

The net result of this may well be that the Kurds, contrary to the wishes of their arms suppliers and trainers...the US and Israel...will gravitate back towards cooperation with the Baghdad, ''one Iraq'', crowd. The attack on the Turkish army has made it impossible for Ankara to be charitable and belay a punishing strike across the border. This realization has come too late to the Kurds, whose leadership has consistently failed to act in the interests of the Kurdish people...and making nice by releasing the captives will probably not do much to mitigate Turkish anger...As the US sells out the Kurds, will Israel follow? Both are playing a dangerous double game with the Turks...both prefer the previous regime and will do anything in their power to discredit the current Turkish regime...as long as it is not to obvious.

The question to be asked is: who let the PKK run amock at such a critical time?