ARBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan -- Interviews with figures of authority (FOA) in this region follow a pretty standard pattern. You greet them, shake their hands and then you sit down. Then you explain what you'd like to talk about. What follows is a 15-20 minute statement by the FOA broken up by the translator who never works quite quickly enough for the statement-maker, so only about every other block of speech is fully translated.
After this statement, which is organized like a college term paper with points and sub-points and full of verbal subheadings like, "Concerning the Turkomen's position in Kirkuk....", then I can ask questions. Interruptions or questions are not tolerated in the opening statement ("let me finish, please," the FOA says when I attempt to get in a question.)
This happens every time, and yesterday's chat with Kanan Shakir Uzeyrag Ali, the head of the Turkomen Independent Movement, one of the three parties making up the Iraqi Turkomen Front, was no exception. The president of the Front, Sanan Ahmet Aga, was unavailable, despite my 11 a.m. appointment.
"Our God, Allah, can do things in seconds, but he chose to create the world in six days," said Salim Otrakchi, a political advisor to Aga. "If you have to wait a few hours to see the president, you must be patient."
Well, I got Ali instead, which was just as well, as he was the Turkomen representative at the Kirkuk meeting on Friday that also included U.S. Gen. Baker and representatives from the PUK and KDP. The topic was the governing of Kirkuk, which Ali said was a Turkomen city.
Sorting out the competing claims on Kirkuk and other cities in Iraq is difficult. There hasn't been an official Iraqi census since 1957 and population numbers have been manipulated over the years to suit the Ba'athish regime's purposes. Also, Kirkuk has been heavily Arabized, with Turkomen and Kurds expelled from the city and surrounding villages to make way for Arabs from the south. Because of such forced demographic changes and the age of the city, at the moment, no one can say -- honestly -- who has a greater historical claim on the city. How far back should the claims go? The only thing that is sure, concerning Kirkuk, is that its oil fields and refineries would be a plum to whichever ethnic group -- Arabs, Kurds or Turkomen -- that controlled it.
Throwing more gasoline on this oil fire is the threat of the Turks to invade if the Kurds do anything to alter the characteristics of the population of Kirkuk. That means if the Kurds allow the tens of thousands of families Arabized out of their homes since the 1920s -- and the Anfal campaign of 1987-88 in particular -- to return, Turkey will see that as the crossing of a red line and send in its approximately 15,000 troops massed on the border to the north.
None of this matters to Ali, who portrays the Turkomen as an oppressed minority in the Kurdish area of Iraq, who can depend on no one but their Turkish brothers to the north.
Ali said the Turkomen felt betrayed by the United States when the PUK peshmergas flowed into the city on Thursday, liberating it from Saddam with little bloodshed. Before order was more or less restored by a combined Kurdish and American presence, there was widespread looting. Nothing like the savagery in Mosul, mind you, which happened because the main peshmerga forces were kept out of that city and the U.S. military felt securing the oil fields was more important than filling the power vacuum left by the Iraqi V Corps' vanishing act. There's a growing sense of resentment among all ethnic parties toward the U.S. because of this failure to provide basic security in the wake of Saddam's ouster.
But back to Kirkuk, Ali told me that Turkomen had been targeted for crimes and human rights violations.
"We have 200 documents that show Turkomen people were robbed," he said. "The people who have suffered the most are the Turkomen. Any time there is some situation, the victim was Turkomen."
I asked him how this compared to robbery reports by Kurds or Arabs or even Assyrians. He said he had no idea, as they went to their own people. How do you know there weren't 500 robberies of Kurdish people or 1,000 assaults on Assyrians, I asked. Is the violence against the Turkomen targeted or are they just getting caught up in the general chaos? "This point is clear," he added. "The Turkomen are not armed people. And the people stealing from them are armed people."
This claim of Turkomen pacifism is, frankly, hard to believe. Practically every man in this country owns some kind of firearm. Most men in the ITF office where I interviewed Ali carried a sidearm or a Kalishnikov.
Ali said the meeting Thursday was productive in that Gen. Baker asked the Turkomen to take part in the security of the city, but he said the Turkomen, who have an aversion to guns, remember, would not be able to help until security was guaranteed by -- surprise! -- the Turks.
"Our people are sitting in their homes and they are having their families taken captive and their furniture taken," he said. "How can he be a soldier? We are ready to help, but other military people are coming to capture us. We don't know who they are."
Hm. Anonymous thugs taking advantage of the chaos and terrorizing families I would buy. The implication that this is the Kurds' fault or that Kurds themselves are doing it is a little more problematic. The translator embellished her boss' words with the the lovely detail that the thugs wore the green and yellow ribbons of the PUK and KDP, respectively, but Ali corrected her and said that wasn't the case. So some Turkomen, at least, are willing to blame the Kurds.
The ITF demands these foreign militia and peshmergas removed from Kirkuk, Ali said, and it wants a shared administration of the city, including Turks, Kurds, Arabs and Assyrians. The idea, he said, is to have an administration based on proportional representation in Kirkuk.
And here we come to the crux of the matter. If the Turkomen can use the threat of Turkish intervention to pressure the Kurds into preventing the Kurdish refugees -- most of them currently living in squalor in camps such as Binislawa outside Arbil -- from returning to their old homes, Turkomen numbers won't be diluted and their power in Kirkuk's government -- and their share of the oil revenue -- will be that much greater.
To accomplish this, the Turkomen must claim oppression at the hands of the Kurds in the Kurdish enclave in the north.
"We have suffered under all people," Ali said. "The Turkomen suffered under the KDP, politically, security and culturally."
How so, I asked. In Iraqi Kurdistan, the Turkomen have a newspaper, a radio station, a television station (one of the biggest buildings in town with a huge satellite dish on the top) their own schools, the right to speak their language, three political parties and representation in the Kurdistan Regional Government's parliament. The Turkomen in Iraqi Kurdistan have more cultural and political rights than the Kurds do in Turkey. What more do you want, I asked.
"These rights are the original rights of all people," he said. "They are given from God. Other people don't grant these rights. Arabs and Kurds have not power to grant these rights. We get these rights from our activities. A constitution would be helpful."
I asked for specific examples of how their rights have been violated. The ITF has not been recognized, Ali said, and isn't official. (But the three Turkomen parties that make up the ITF each have parliamentary representation.) Their reporters for the various media can't leave the building and interview people on the street (Not true, I've watched Turkomen TV and they go out and interview people.) The Kurdish government officials won't talk to their reporters (Well, sometimes they won't talk to me; that's the breaks.)
Their chief of security, Amir Azad, was arrested two months ago, Ali said, and they only now were able to send him a lawyer. "We are ready to give you a dossier about it," he said.
"Great!" I said. "I'd like to see it."
Then some discussion in Turkomen followed. "Oh, we have filed it with Kofi Anan at the United Nations. You can read it there."
And then, after listing this litany of wrongs done to the Turkomen, Ali reversed himself.
"But we want to forget all and start a new page," he said. "We don't want to speak of past times."
As a representative of a people who have allegedly suffered so much from the Kurds, Ali seemed awfully quick to put all these years behind them. His stated desire to move on represents either a saint-like ability to forgive, or a recognition that Turkomen claims are exaggerated.
PS: While I was typing this, it appears Tikrit has fallen without a fight. We're heading there now.
I wish I knew what the truth was. A copy-paste from Google News.
US forces move into Tikrit, facing no resistance Albawaba Middle East News
US troops encounter fierce resistance in Tikrit ABC Online
Ai yi yi. Good luck!
I am virtually sicken of Turkish doubele standards and their hypocricy.
The Turkish government want to send (might already have sent) observers to monitor the situation in Karkuk and Mosul. The Turkish government want to keep Karkul and Mosul as Arabized as Saddam´s longterm Aarabization/Anfal (extremination camapign) campaign left it.
The Turkish goverment, itself, has destroyed thousand of Kurdish villages in southeast of Turkey, and has conducted “Turkization” campaign of some oil-rich region near Van district in southeast of Turkey.
The question is: SHOULD NOT US TAKE OBSERVERS TO ALL KURDISH CITIES IN TURKEY TO MONITOR HOW THE KURDS ARE OPPRESSED ALMOST OUT OF EXISTENSE FOR THE LAST EIGHHT DECADES? DID THE US SEND ANY OBSERVERS WHEN TURKEY DEMOLISHED 3500 KURDISH VILLAGES IN NORTH (TURKEY´S) KURDISTAN? Kurds will term this “doubele standards” and “hypocricy”..
The Turks (Turkish goverment) get paranoia to just even hear the name “Kurd”. (It´s probably the most taboo word in the Turkish language.) They don´t call the Kurds in Turky or Iraq for Kurds, or name of the area for Kurdistan (they opposed and heavely critsized when an Iranian airline wanted to call one of their planes Kurdistan), instead they refer to them as Iraqis and the area as northern Iraq.
I don´t undrestand that such a paranoia for Kurds —— I mean Iraqi Kurdistan have borders with Iran and Syria, these countries havn´t threathend to do such a thing. (In fact more Kurdish refugees entered Iran then into Turkey during the Gulf ware) —- Why is it only Turky that must invade Iraqi Kurdistan?
There hasn´t been a military clashes between KADEK (former PKK) and the Turksih army since the capturing of PKK´s leader Öcalan by Turkey. What is wrong with that ceasefire?
The main Turksih intension for invading northern Iraq is to debilliate the influnce of Kurdish parties in the post Saddam era —— Turkish goverment are afraid that kurdish oil- rich city of Kirkuk will eventually become under the hands of Kurds —- they are afraid that there own Kurdish minority will be INSPIRED by they Iraqi Kurds.
(Iraqi regime is conduction an arabization policy in that area, even today Saddam is throwing out the kurdish population and put the arabs from other pars of Iraq in there place)
Turky wants more influnce for the Iraqi Turkemans in the upcoming new postgovermnet after the war (Today Turkemans have the same rights and freedom as other “Iraqi kurdistani” (shia Kurds (feyli), Kelldani/Ashuri and Yezidi) to study in their own language, they have their own TV channel, and their own political parties, while the kurdish minority in Turkey aren´t even allowed to study in their own tongue —- For God sake they were not even allowed to speak kurdish for just some years ago…Talk about dubbel standard and once again paranoia, … I mean it´s so ludicrous when your hear the Turkish argument; they want to advocate democracy and equality for Tukemes while they are really treating their own minority virtullay like SHIT,,,
The Turkish republic have destroied the Kurds selfesteem by forbidding their language for some generation. It´s the worst thing a human being can be opposed to.
Why do you think the kurds say: we want rather to be under Saddams govern then the Turks… “Please” just consider over this a bit. Why dose the Kurds disapprove the Turks so much..?
How can Turkey have nervs to talk about democracy and human right concering their own human rights violation record?!
note:(I am a Iranian Kurd and paradoxiacal married with a Turk; my anottation is mainly directed at the “Turksih goverment” and not ordinary people)
Wow - apparently FOA the world over have their own agendas. Who would have thought? I figured that it an invasion of Iraq was cloaked in patriotic self-preservation and our desire to bring peace and joy to the Iraqi citizenry, all other aggressors would flow with the love, keep the peace and let Bush perfect his Mini-Me colony in the manner he (and his adviser, some “god”) see fit. Since it is the divine right of Bush to mold the world after his own oyster now others feel their desires need immediately satisfaction: what a shock. Imagine the depths of confusion that Bush/Cheney/Rummy will plunge into upon discovering that others may hold onto their own beliefs and STILL not “believe as we do” after we’ve conquered their ruling governments. [Please withhold angry flames, my tongue is firmly in-cheek here and I mean this all in the most patriotic way possible.]
PS - “If” an invasion, not “it” an invasion … and “immediate” satisfaction, not “immediately”. Sorry, Bad Brain Day.
Just an ignorance question:
How are the stories filed? I realize they are likely typed on a laptop, but are they e-mailed on a satellite phone, and if so can you do that with any of them? Somehow I have stayed totally ignorant and not heard about this technology yet. Sorry about that and thanks if someone has time to answer.
Hi, Greg—
I file on a laptop and usually connect using an Internet cafe in Arbil. The guys here let me plug my laptop right in. When I’m on the road, I use an Iridium sat phone with a data connection that works, although it’s very sloooooow. Still, it’s technology the CIA would have LOVED 10 years ago, so I’m thankful.
I upload pictures when I’m on a fast line, like at the cafe.
When I get down to Kirkuk, Tikrit and Baghdad, I’m sure I’ll have to use the sat phone more, since I’m told that Iraqi Kurdistan is the only part of Iraq that has full Net access.
A story about water being sold to the Iraqi’s; editor’s note about sat phones being confiscated.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0401-14.htm
I was watching CNN here in Paris this morning, and funnily enough, onscreen Brett Sadler was moving into the outskirts of Tikrit , and on the site, he was already there..there was a pretty significant time delay between the two… and on TV it was broadcast “LIVE”
Thanks for this Christopher.
The nicest thing about your site is that you are giving an in depth picture, rather than some one point and two quote scribble about whatever seems most obvious that we get from the mainstream sites.
You’re the only source I trust to tell me what is happening with the Kurds. Keep up the good work.
kawam: The >40 million existing Kurds don’t appear to be “oppressed out of existence”. If you think the Kurds in Turkey are so miserable (and have been for 800 years), given they don’t have their own country, do you think they should have just moved south to the happy country? Many people from Mexico immigrate to the USA each year, accepting to live under US law, because they like it better on that side of the border..
Chris, thanks for the update! What I don’t fully understand is this: Many of the people in the region dislike each other. But why is it that the Turkomen love the Turks so much?? Just seems weird for the region. Maybe the Turkomen should form an independent state and then join Turkey?
Dear Chris,
Thank you very much for this insightful report on the Turkmen situation.
The Kurds are trying to downplay, if not ignore altogether, the Turkmen existence in the northern Iraq, claiming Kirkuk for themselves. The looting of the Census Bureau and the Office of Land Deeds in Kirkuk has been clearly part of the plan to destroy documentary evidence, so that they could later advance false claims.
They can burn census records and land deeds, destroy tombstones, but they will never succeed. The folk songs of the Kerkuk Turkmen shall always be remembered and sung. They are such emotional and beautiful tunes that they shall always tell about the rich heritage of this people.
When I was a little kid, the very first song my “saz” teacher taught was from Kerkuk, titled “Altin hizma mulayim.” (The mild
http://www.kalan.com/English/Scripts/Album/DispKayit.asp?id=29791
For original lyrics: http://www.turkuler.com/sozler/sozler/a27.asp
“The golden nose stud is mild
O Beautiful, come and let’s meet
I am going far away
I have seen days, better days
But the happiest day is when I see you”
It is a simple, yet powerful tune, and the lyrics talk about a lover’s desire to meet his loved one for the last time before he departs for a distant voyage. You are kept wondering if he can ever come back. It is the most cheerful farewell song I have ever listened to, and that makes it so sad.
I sincerely wish that the fate of the Kerkuk Turkmen will be much brighter.
Dear Chris,
Thank you very much for this insightful report on the Turkmen situation.
The Kurds are trying to downplay, if not ignore altogether, the Turkmen existence in the northern Iraq, claiming Kirkuk for themselves. The looting of the Census Bureau and the Office of Land Deeds in Kirkuk has been clearly part of the plan to destroy documentary evidence, so that they could later advance false claims.
They can burn census records and land deeds, destroy tombstones, but they will never succeed. The folk songs of the Kerkuk Turkmen shall always be remembered and sung. They are such emotional and beautiful tunes that they shall always tell about the rich heritage of this people.
When I was a little kid, the very first song my “saz” teacher taught was from Kerkuk, titled “Altin hizma mulayim.” (The mild
http://www.kalan.com/English/Scripts/Album/DispKayit.asp?id=29791
For original lyrics: http://www.turkuler.com/sozler/sozler/a27.asp
“The golden nose stud is mild
O Beautiful, come and let’s meet
I am going far away
I have seen days, better days
But the happiest day is when I see you”
It is a simple, yet powerful tune, and the lyrics talk about a lover’s desire to meet his loved one for the last time before he departs for a distant voyage. You are kept wondering if he can ever come back. It is the most cheerful farewell song I have ever listened to, and that makes it so sad.
I sincerely wish that the fate of the Kerkuk Turkmen will be much brighter.
Wow, reading Khaidar’s remarks one wonders just where he got his news or about his inability to handle subtleties…Chris did an even-handed presentation, but the tilt was to…ah, an over emotional reactionary Turkoman psychology. I guess it is the leftovers of the Sins of the Fathers going back to the Ottoman Empire, which was an anchor on Human Hope and Accomplishment.
Ah, and that BS about the Turks are Coming, the Turks are Coming…no way…they are scared to jump the gun, these shellers of taxis. In fact, they should have done it two weeks ago…they set themselves up for a nice face saving retreat due to our “appeasing” them. And like they can even afford to have Satellite’s watching our troop movements? Hey, and if they did, it would be with money from American economic aid. Actually, which would be better used in helping their economic situation if they permitted more freedom in their slave state…aha, it is, it is…imagine what American society would be like if it was run on the Turkist paradigm? It is no wonder no one in the world copies this society’s moves. That’s hard reality…
Chris now keeps me on the edge of my seat with this series…what will turn up as the “real” thing?
DD:
kawam: The >40 million existing Kurds don’t appear to be “oppressed out of existence”. If you think the Kurds in Turkey are so miserable (and have been for 800 years), given they don’t have their own country, do you think they should have just moved south to the happy country? Many people from Mexico immigrate to the USA each year, accepting to live under US law, because they like it better on that side of the border..
Dear DD Turk!
Why don’t you Turks leave north Kurdistan, and go back to Mongolia? And take the Turkmen’s who love Turkey so much with you and drop them at Turkmenistan? And on your way you can apologize a million times for crimes your people have committed against the Kurds and the Armenians.
You have quite a lot of nerve coming here, reading such an interview with a pathetic Turkey-puppet-Turkmen who obviously is paid by the Turkish government to discredit the Kurds and trying to undermine the democracy that the Kurds have built in south Kurdistan. In fact, Turkey an 80 year old country doesn’t even come close to the human rights standard in save heaven of south Kurdistan.
Our brothers in North Kurdistan WILL NEVER EVER give up their land.
Why don’t stop this denial thinking? Why don’t you ask your self, why Turkey has 500 000 soldiers in the Kurdish areas? How come it spends billions of dollars each year to keep the Kurds oppressed? And still, The Kurdish people’s spirit for Freedom and human rights has not been broken by your fascist government and its racist and thug movements.
It’s not the FIRST time I hear your fascist propaganda “Well..gee.. If the Kurds don’t like being raped, killed, tortured by us Turks, they can just move on to the south where the Turkmen can build their own country” That’s a typical fascist and racist thinker!
I despite people like you, you are a threat to human kind and peace to the Middle East, BUT I AM VERY SURE that the majority of Turks thinks like you!
Show some DAMN respect if not to the Kurdish people, how about the Truth? Or is the Turkish political thinking not cable of seeing reality?
Please don’t try to answer, since your answer is a copy of every Turkish fascist kemalist so spare your time.
Dose DD stand for Devoted Denial ?
This animation EXPLAINS how the Turkish mind works. Please wait until the Flash animation is loaded. It will clearfuly what I was talking about.
http://www.unitedhumanrights.org
Tip: Be sure to check thier image gallery!
peshmerga:
First of all, I’m a German-born American, not a Turk.
I don’t mean to offend you. Yes, I came to this site to read what Chris wrote, and then I voiced my questions. You sound like you dislike everything Turkish.. No need to flame me. I didn’t kill any Kurds, and you didn’t join the PKK I hope.
I don’t know much about the Kurds, and I don’t claim to. That’s why I read this blog. Also, you ask me to respect the truth; obviously I’m seeking to learn that truth by reading all angles (which Chris so nicely reports).
I’ve seen many websites that portray one side of the story. I’d like to know both sides. I’m not trying to convince you to believe anything, I don’t hope to achieve that. Also, I don’t think hatred is the solution to these things. Besides, I’m not a member of any government.
I said “why didn’t Kurds move south”, because there are other angles that report that Kurds under Turkish/Ottoman rule weren’t so unhappy after all. And I asked about the Turkomen’s Turk-love for the same reason, if they love Turks so much, why don’t they join them?
And someone somewhere said that the Kurdish parties are communist in nature, what is your take on this? Or maybe we should discuss this in the forum section. Because noone enjoys being called names, be it fascist or racist or anything else. So if you respect the Turkish people, I’m sure they’ll respect you back.
peshmerga,
One question that I really don’t have a clue about is this: How does the PKK think that terror can solve the problems? Also, where does the PKK find the money to fight the 500,000 Turkish soldiers that you mentioned for so long?
DD
I have a really hard time to believe that you are German-born American, maybe you are. I don’t know.
But you sure THINK like a Kemalist. Maybe you only meet with Turks who hate Kurds. Or you have taken a Turkish Denial pill, I have no idea.
§1 I DO NOT HATE TURKS
One of the huge demonstrations in Europe against Turkey’s Human Rights viloations by Amnesty was organized by a young Turkish guy (I don’t want to give his name, due to the fact he may lose som family members in Turkey)
The president of Human Rights organization, who was shot 13 times in Turkey by the Grey Wolfs (the Tukrish goverments death squad).
Many Turks are members of KADEK (or former PKK)
§2 Kurdish parties in south Kurdistan
Well, I consider them the most capitlist parties I know. Free market, Low tax, yes in every aspect. But politicaly NON Kurdish party could be categorized in ideological forms (thats just what I think) becuase they are still fighting the basic human rights issues. When thier people are being killed, raped, tortured there is hardly time to talk about political ideals such as communism. When a people don’t have basic human rights, the time for other issues just stops.
About PKK
I don’t like to go into this issue, becuase I know that the material provided by the Turkish goverment is huge. Thier propoganda against PKK was done by proffs, from PR companies and schoolars.
But True, PKK did commited sucide bombs in the begning. It wasn’t that hard, many people who saw thier children or wife being raped by the Turkish military stood in line to it.
But PKK has changed it’s policy, there hasn’t been a single fire from KADEK (PKK) since thier leader was jailed.
Now KADEK wants a peaceful solution and it is growing by every day.
And why I don’t join PKK, KADEK? Well buddy, I think that being human, kind, and seeking the turth is the only path for any ture revolution. I do my part of the Kurdish course, but how I will leave it to your imagination.
By the way, If you are ignorant about the issues in Turkey regarding Human rights, then you should show some respect for my people.
PS. The fourm dose not work for me, it dose not update normaly on my PC so I just got feed up with it.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::..
Viva Kurdistan ||¤||
Peace-love-huma-rights-for-all
Let me clear something:
“But politicaly NON Kurdish party could be categorized in ideological forms (thats just what I think) “
I am talking about “ideological” in terms of capitlist or communist or socialist.
Ideologicaly every Kurd has a disre or deram for a greater Kurdistan. Today we are one step closer to our dream.
1 down, 3 to go.
I accompanied Christopher the day of getting into Kirkuk after being just liberated and then the day after to make his first interview with some figure in the Turment front office in Irbil…. I wanted here to praise the excellnet job done by Christopher, its amazing me how fairly and profoundly he was seeking the truth behind the events… I was really pleased reading what he wrote about things and sense his fairness and not being biased to any side, he is writing as he’ve been in this area since a long time and not just days ago! his work is honest, informative and perceptive to a great extent… I feel safe knowing there are some jouranlists who are seeking the truth and fact behind events unlike some.. like Aljazeera TV and press crew and some others!!!
Thanks Christpher.
If this Peshmerga guy is peace loving I am Napoleon Bonapart…
Chris why do you have this leaning towards one side (Kurds) and question everything coming from the other side, Turkey, Turks and even their ethic brothers Turkmens as not so reliable.
And to Tony Chopkoski; Turkey has enough muscle to tackle anybody in the region and beyond if it wants to, nevermind the “Bashibouzuks” of Northern Iraq.
CanZ.
I served a tour in Turkey as well as NATO HQ.
The Turkish Armed Forces really have been gutted, 3/4 of the budget is going to building roads. In NATO everyone considers your army a shadow of its fomrer self.
The Turkish Army has been very succesful at taking on civilians but I don’t think they would get anywhere in Norther, Iraq.
I have to agree with Les. Not only has Turkey become unreliable, but their military has become a “Paper Tiger.” With the deep economic problems what is happening is that the military outlays seem to be the same, but, but the civil government is raiding those outlays. The huge number of general staff officers, which are kind of permentant caste, in theory maintain supposed forcese but these exist only on paper. Most of the “miltary training” is just labor gangs.
The Turkish military, once vaunted as the path for achievemnt and status since Ottoman times, no longer commands any respect in Turkey. Equiopment, especially high end equipment is in very poor statge of readiness.
One could see something unheard of come out in public within in the General Staff leading up to the US action. General Ozkok was undermined by his own number two and three. Why? they are in favor of changing from the US to China and Russia as the main suppliers of weapons because the military critical financial problems. One can even see that the Greeks no longer worry about Turkey, and Ankara had to pull forces from the Aegean theater to put a show on in the south east.
The Peshmerga in Iraq know that the Turks were losing in their own country until they brought in helicopter gunships to use against villages. The Pesmerga have effective weapons against those gunships.
We don’t want Americans in Turkey or Irak or Iran etc. We do not go to Mongolia! But you will go home YANKEE! We are more intelligent from YOU and we can manage our countries. ( We -TURKS- managed world for 700 years with Ottoman Empire. ) We do not need you. Why are you coming from thousends of kilometres? For peace? If you want peace why are you fighting in our geography?
U.S.A. - > BE AFRAID OF YOUNG TURKS!