NPR: Pressure on Turkish PM to Invade Iraq Grows

Pressure on Turkish PM to Invade Iraq Grows

Protesters in Istanbul today hold flags and a picture of a soldier who was killed Sunday by Kurdish rebels. About 3,000 flag-waving Turks took to the streets, chanting slogans against the Kurdistan Workers' Party.

AFP/Getty Images

A clash with Kurdish rebels on Sunday that killed at least 12 Turkish soldiers may be the tipping point that sends Turkey into northern Iraq. It could be tough for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to squeeze out of it now, especially with the Kurds also claiming to have captured eight soldiers.

Last week, parliament members gave Erdogan the OK to use military force. Now, the Turkish media reports, the public is demanding it. If Erdogan doesn't invade, it will likely damage his public image severely.

I e-mailed Ivan Watson, our correspondent in Istanbul, this morning, and he told me that Turkish leaders don't think an invasion will solve the problem but have painted themselves into a corner with the vote in parliament. An expert he interviewed for Morning Edition, Hugh Pope, said the Turks "are pushed by domestic public opinion to go in, and by common sense to stay out."

Ivan wrote that if the latest attack really did start with an ambush by members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, that it's "basically an invitation by the PKK for the Turks to invade northern Iraq."

Yes, the PKK seems to want a Turkish invasion, according to Pope, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group. He said the PKK is launching these attacks for two reasons: to remain relevant and to try and draw Turkey into what he calls "the morass of Iraq."

So Erdogan is in a tight spot. The public is clamoring for a military response that he doesn't think will work and may play right into the PKK's strategy. But if he doesn't act in the way voters want, he could put his own political career in jeopardy.

But a peaceful settlement may still be possible. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, said the rebels would declare a unilateral ceasefire today. A PKK Web site says the rebels are ready to lay down their arms if Turkey stops targeting them and drops plans for an invasion, Agence France-Presse reports.

12:11 PM ET | 10-22-2007 | permalink

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