TURKISH PRESS EXAGGERATES TROOP BUILD-UP IN THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 002226

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2026
TAGS: MARR MOPS TU
SUBJECT: TURKISH PRESS EXAGGERATES TROOP BUILD-UP IN THE
SOUTHEAST

REF: A. ANKARA 1897

B. ANKARA 1821

Classified By: Political-Military Counselor Timothy A. Betts, reasons 1
.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Recent Turkish press reports claim the
Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC) has initiated a movement
of its headquarters to southeast Turkey and undertaken a
massive build-up of troops there to fight the PKK. Some go
further to suggest this will include cross-border operations
into Iraq. MFA officials dismiss the idea of cross-border
operations but TGS officially remains silent. We are not
aware of any unusual troop build-up beyond the annual
relocation of forces in preparation for a PKK spring
offensive in Turkey. TGS may see advantage in the PKK's
believing an attack could be in the making. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) Press reports on April 20 and 21 claimed Turkey is
amassing up to 250,000 troops along the country's border with
Iraq in preparations for a spring offensive against the PKK
both inside and outside of Turkey, and that the Land Forces
headquarters will temporarily move to the southeast to direct
the operations. According to an April 21 Reuters report, a
senior Turkish military official said TGS has sent 40,000
troops from central and western Turkey to the southeast to
back up security forces fighting the PKK in Van, Hakkari and
Sirnak provinces and that more are on the way. An article
that same day in the Turkish daily (Radikal) contains a TGS
acknowledgment that military units in the southeast have been
reinforced but denies that TLFC headquarters will be moved.
Another daily (Milliyet) said there had been a massive troop
build up in the past 48 hours, possibly in preparation for
cross-border operations.


3. (SBU) The reports claiming an extensive build-up of troops
may have erroneously characterized the permanent presence of
about 200,000 troops in eastern Turkey -- provided by the 2nd
Army, located in the southeast, the 3rd Army, in the
northeast and the Jandarma troops (which traditionally have
the lead in PKK operations) -- as new troops. In late March,
the media widely quoted military sources as saying one
additional combat battalion from Bolu (northwest Turkey) and
one from Kayseri (central Turkey) were moving to the
southeast as part of the regular rotation of troops to that
region to respond to the annual spring/summer upswing in PKK
activity. While this troop and related armament rotation is
typically conducted in May, the increased fighting in the
southeast in early spring (reftels) may account for the
earlier timing. However, these two battalions combined
contribute only about 1,000 additional troops to forces
fighting in the southeast. We are unaware of any other
significant troop movements.


4. (C) The Turkish General Staff (TGS) has not issued a
statement denying an increase of troops and our contacts in
the TGS J-3 Operations Division did not want to comment on
the issue, instead referring us to the MFA for the official
GOT position. MFA Terrorism Director General for Security
Affairs Hayati Guven and former Deputy Director General for
the Middle East and future Consul General in Mosul Avni
Botsali separately brushed off the idea that Turkey was
massing troops along the border in preparation for
cross-border operations in Iraq. They did acknowledge,
however, that it would not be unusual for TLFC to deploy
additional troops to the southeastern region this time of
year to combat the PKK presence in Turkey. At an April 20
lunch hosted by the DCM, retired Major General Kuloglu
dismissed suggestions that the Land Forces headquarters would
be relocated to the southeast but did agree that the military
would establish a small combat headquarters in the southeast
to conduct operations against the PKK.


5. (C) Late April 21, NTV news channel reported that military
sources close to the matter say that, at this stage, there
are definitely no plans for a cross-border operation, period.
Ankara does not want to undermine the political process in
Iraq by introducing Turkish soldiers into northern Iraq.
Conducting a cross-border operation on the eve of U.S.
Secretary of State Rice's visit to Ankara is viewed as

SIPDIS
discourteous rather than a show of determination. A reporter

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told us this source was a TGS general.


6. (C) COMMENT: The lack of an official statement from TGS
denying an unusual build-up along Turkey's border with Iraq
could suggest that the military does not wish to comment on
ongoing operations. TGS may also perceive an advantage to
having the PKK believe there is an extraordinary build-up in
Turkish military strength along the border. END COMMENT.

Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/

WILSON