Hilmi Toros

ISTANBUL – Turkey is beefing up military preparedness against Iraq-based Kurdish rebels as a prelude to a possible cross-border incursion that is opposed by the United States, the European Union, and the Iraqi government. Three Turkish provinces bordering Iraq have already been declared "special security" zones, limiting civilian access in the wake of an increase … Continue reading “Turkey: Into the Iraq Quagmire?”

ISTANBUL – Turkey holds the option of unilateral intervention in northern Iraq if Kurds declare independence and claim the oil wealth of disputed Kirkuk, considered the main spoils in the uncertain Iraqi equation. In bellicose tones, Turkish officials have served notice that Kirkuk, with 40 percent of Iraq’s petroleum and 6 percent of the world’s … Continue reading “All Not Quiet on the Northern Front”

NATO is being asked to take a hand in security for the Olympic Games to be held in Athens in August. The day after bombs killed some 200 and wounded more than 1,400 in Madrid, the Greek government formally asked the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to get involved in Olympics security operations. Security is … Continue reading “Greece Cracks Down on Political Asylum as NATO Called in for Olympics Security”

The suicide bombing Sunday in the normally tranquil north of Iraq has brought new uncertainty five months before the United States is due to cede political power to Iraqis. The bombing at the offices of two Kurdish groups allied closely to the United States spread shock waves through Kurdish areas. In one attack a man … Continue reading “Kurd Bombing Adds New Uncertainty”

Recent developments in Northern Iraq may lead to the division of post-Saddam Iraq along ethnic lines. Kurds plan to turn their tactical gains from their role as unflinching U.S. allies in ousting Saddam Hussein into a strategic and historic one – a Kurdish federation that would include one of the world’s richest oil reserves in … Continue reading “Kurds Head Towards Separation Up North”