Kurdistan, Turkey And Iran

In acting against the PKK, Turkey would be upsetting the apple-cart of what is also going on in northern Iraq -- Kurdish militant actions against Iran, with the US turning a blind-eye/covertly aiding them, depending on whom you believe.

The P.K.K., about two years ago [2005 - SR] split into four parties in each of the countries where is the Kurds live. In Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Iran. So the P.J.A.K. is the Iranian affiliate. In order to get to the P.J.A.K. interviews that I did, you had to go through two P.K.K. based camps with walkie-talkies and soldiers and guerillas and so on. Among other Kurdish groups that I spoke to, no one thinks that the P.K.K. and the P.J.A.K. are really separate organizations. At a minimum they very clearly coordinate their activities, get funding, weapons, et cetera. But I think in practice, their function is one organization.

On the one hand, the United States is very much opposes to the P.K.K.'s actions in Turkey. On the other hand they're supporting P.K.K.'s attack on Iran.

[The US is] playing a very similar game with the Mujahadeen al-Halb, another Iranian group and with groups in Baluchestan which is near the Pakistan-Iranian boarder where some revolutionary guard buses were blown up.

The Turks know exactly what's going on, they don't believe the disclaimers issued by the United States ... at a time when the U.S. is escalating the war in Baghdad, threatening to attack Iran, suddenly Turkey could get involved in clashes with the Kurdish regional government in Iraq. So what is now a mess, will become an incredibly bigger mess.