TRADITIONAL TURKISH TROOP BUILD-UP UNDERWAY FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 000686 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/26/2017 TAGS: MARR MOPS PTER TU IZ SUBJECT: TRADITIONAL TURKISH TROOP BUILD-UP UNDERWAY FOR EXPECTED PKK SPRING OFFENSIVE Classified By: CDA Nancy McEldowney, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) On the eve of the March 21 Newroz celebrations in honor of the Kurdish New Year, the Turkish press reported a significant troop build-up along Turkey's border with Iraq in preparation for the traditional spring offensive by the PKK terrorist organization in southeast Turkey. Land Forces Commander GEN Basbug reportedly made a public plea on March 13 for a peaceful New Year's celebration but also took the opportunity to rattle the TGS saber and reiterate Turkey's right under international law to conduct a cross-border operation (CBO) into Iraq against the PKK. According to the press, TGS dispatched additional troops, including commando units, to the border provinces with Iraq to prevent PKK infiltration, as it has traditionally done in the spring. Independent sources have confirmed that these movements appear consistent with past years. ¶2. (SBU) The holiday passed in relative quiet, but just days later three Turkish soldiers were killed and two wounded by a land mine during a clash with up to 20 PKK elements, in what the press characterized as one of the first operations in the annual spring offensive against the rebels. Low-level clashes occurred throughout the winter as TGS conducted operations against PKK elements holed-up in southeast Turkey but the mild winter has meant an early melting of the snows and increased maneuverability for the terrorists in the mountainous border terrain, leading to expectations of an early increase in PKK violence in Turkey. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/ankara/ MCELDOWNEY