TURKEY/IRAQ: TURKISH TROOPS ENTER NORTHERN IRAQ ON

S E C R E T ANKARA 002997 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2027 TAGS: PREL MOPS PTER IZ TU SUBJECT: TURKEY/IRAQ: TURKISH TROOPS ENTER NORTHERN IRAQ ON DEC 18 REF: A. ANKARA 2974 ¶B. ANKARA 2991 Classified By: A/DCM Kim DeBlauw for reasons 1.4 (b,d). ¶1. (S) Summary: Turkish troops in battalion strength entered northern Iraq in the Hakurk and Ava Shin regions late December 17 and into December 18. Turkish General Staff (TGS) claims this was a hot pursuit operation, initiated by a local commander and to a limited depth, and therefore was unable to provide us advance notification. Ambassador and ODC Chief have expressed strong USG concerns to senior military and civilian officials at lack of notification that the U.S. and Turkey agree is necessary for battle space deconfliction. DCHOD Saygun promised better transparency. End Summary ¶2. (S) During a routine communications check with MNF-I at approximately 2130 hours Zulu time, the Ankara Coordination Cell (ACC) learned of a report that up to 1000 Turkish troops had crossed the border into northern Iraq in the Hakurk region approximately an hour earlier. The Turkish General Staff J-3 subsequently called the ACC at 2220Z to report that a battalion-size element was conducting operations just over the Turkey-Iraq border. A TGS J-2 admiral subsequently arrived at the ACC and reported that Jandarma and other troops were in contact with 40-60 PKK terrorists. He stated that TGS had not been informed of the operation and that it had been locally initiated by the 2nd Army headquarters in southeastern Turkey. ¶3. (S) ACC personnel promptly notified appropriate U.S. military authorities of the Turkish operation. ODC Chief called TGS J-3 Operations Chief MG Kenan Kocak at 0040Z to express his and Ambassador's concern that Turkey did not provide advance notification of this operation, as they had done with air and artillery operations on December 16 and 17. Kocak responded that the ongoing operation was small in scale (battalion-size),limited in depth to a couple of kilometers into northern Iraq, and not related to air and artillery strikes conducted on December 16 and 17. He said the Turkish ground force unit was in visual contact with the PKK target. ODC Chief requested details urgently and stressed that any cross border operation requires advance notification to ensure battle space deconfliction. Kocak acknowledged this and promised to provide details as soon as possible. ¶4. (S) Ambassador and ODC Chief met with CHOD General Saygun December 18, conveyed strong U.S. concerns about the lack of advance notification, and requested TGS adjust its procedures to ensure prior notification as previously agreed. Saygun characterized the operation as a "hot pursuit" conducted by a battalion-size unit under local control. He claimed TGS was not apprised of the operation until one hour after it started. Penetration into Iraq was 4-6 kilometers and the unit was lightly armed. Saygun was receptive to U.S. concerns and reiterated his commitment to transparency involving Turkish operations in northern Iraq. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ WILSON