The Next Front

Pressure is building on Ankara to deal more harshly with cross-border terrorist attacks from Iraq.

July 31, 2006 issue - Israel launched airstrikes on Lebanon in response to attacks by Hizbullah earlier this month, and George W. Bush called it "self-defense." But what to tell the Turks, who over the last week lost 15 soldiers to terror attacks launched by separatist Kurds from neighboring Iraq? Many Turkish leaders are pressing for cross-border tactical air assaults on the guerrillas. But Bush, fearing yet another escalation of the Middle East's violence, urged Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to hold off. "The message was, unilateral action isn't going to be helpful," says a senior U.S. official, describing the 15-minute phone conversation. "The president asked for patience."

Read the whole story on Newsweek

See also:

• TURKEY CITES ISRAEL AS KURD EXAMPLE (FreeMarketNews.com)
• Turkish govt sets goals for possible cross-border operation (Abhaber.com)
• Turkey discusses all options to eliminate PKK threat from N.Iraq (Abhaber.com)
• U.S. promises Turkey to fight against outlawed PKK organization (People's Daily Online)
• Three Messages in 1 Day from the US (Zaman)
• Talabani: Iraq Shouldn't Be Launchpad For Turkey Attacks (Kurdish Aspect)
• The first testing of Turkey's shared strategic vision with the United States (Turkish Daily News)
• Turkey moves to ease EU's concerns on cross-border operation (Abhaber.com)