Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, a U.S. spokesman in Iraq, said the military had received assurances from its NATO ally Turkey that it would do everything possible to avoid "collateral damage" to innocent civilians or infrastructure.
"Multi-National Forces-Iraq is aware Turkish ground forces have entered into northern Iraq, for what we understand is an operation of limited duration to specifically target PKK terrorists in that region," Smith said in a statement.
"The United States continues to support Turkey's right to defend itself from the terrorist activities of the PKK and has encouraged Turkey to use all available means, to include diplomacy and close coordination with the Government of Iraq to ultimately resolve this issue," he added.
Matthew Bryza, U.S. deputy assistant secretary for southeastern Europe, cited the importance of a Nov. 5 meeting in which President Bush promised Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Washington would share intelligence on the PKK.
Turkey keeps a decent sized force inside Iraqi territory at all time. This looks like a shallow penetration using special forces and perhaps a half dozen infantry battalions at most, with parent brigade headquarters remaining in Turkey, that will hammer PKK camps while movement for the terrorists is limited. The weather will hamper Turkish vehicle movement, too, so I don't imagine this will be large-scale or long-lasting.
Besides, the Iraqi government and Kurds can ignore the incursion for only so long. I bet we've helped with intelligence so that the Turks can inflict significant damage quickly and then get out before Iraqis have to officially take notice. This would help the Turks remain within parameters I imagine we've negotiated with them.
