Gates: More info needed about Kurdish rebels

[unhappycamper]

Defense Secretary Robert Gates, left, shakes hands with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer during arrivals for a NATO defense ministers meeting in Noordwijk, the Netherlands on Oct. 24.


Gates: More info needed about Kurdish rebels
The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Oct 24, 2007 18:35:23 EDT

NOORDWIJK, the Netherlands — Pentagon chief Robert Gates said Wednesday he saw little sense in air strikes or major ground assaults by U.S., Turkish, or other forces against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq until more is known about their locations along the border.

His comments to reporters during a break in a NATO defense ministers meeting suggested concern that Turkey will open a large-scale offensive across the border into the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. That area has been one of the most prosperous and peaceful parts of Iraq in recent years.

Turkish warplanes and helicopter gunships reportedly attacked positions of Kurdish rebels just inside Turkey earlier Wednesday, and Turkish leaders in Ankara discussed the scope and duration of a possible offensive.

Turkey’s leaders face demands at home to stage an offensive in northern Iraq. Rebels of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party — known as the PKK — rest, train and get supplies in relative safety in the area before returning to Turkey to conduct attacks in support of their goal of autonomy in southeastern Turkey.

At a press conference in this seaside village, where defense ministers of all 26 NATO member countries gathered to discuss their efforts in Afghanistan, Gates was asked to assess the prospects of the U.S. military launching air strikes in support of Turkey’s efforts against the Kurdish rebels.

“Without good intelligence, just sending large numbers of troops across the border (from Turkey) or dropping bombs doesn’t seem to make much sense to me,” Gates said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/10/ap_kurdishrebels_071024/



uhc comment: I have to agree with Bobby on this one. Without good intelligence, just sending large numbers of troops across the border or dropping bombs doesn’t seem to make much sense to me either.