Turkey on Tuesday cautiously accepted Israel’s denial of a report that the Jewish state was training Kurdish commando units in northern Iraq, but made clear it was keeping a close eye on the region. The New Yorker magazine reported this week that Israel was training Kurdish fighters to balance the military strength of Shi’ite militias in Iraq. The report has sparked a furor in the Turkish media, despite Israeli and Iraqi Kurdish denials. Turkey, the only country in the region to have close security ties with Israel, fears any moves to bolster Iraq’s Kurds could lead to the formation of a Kurdish state, which could in turn fuel separatism among Kurds in southeast Turkey. “Israel has told us it (The New Yorker’s story) is not true. We also want this to be the case. Everyone knows Turkey’s sensitivities on this issue. Naturally we have to believe what we are told,” Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told reporters. Full Story
About OODA Analyst
OODA is comprised of a unique team of international experts capable of providing advanced intelligence and analysis, strategy and planning support, risk and threat management, training, decision support, crisis response, and security services to global corporations and governments.