Turkey Says U.S. Weapons In Terrorist Hands

By Cernig

The Turkish government have complained to Washington that American weaponry is ending up in the hands of PKK terrorists, who are then using those arms to kill Turks. Turkey is a NATO ally.

Turkey's ambassador to Washington said Wednesday that U.S. weapons have been turning up in the hands of Kurdish guerrillas staging attacks in Turkey.

Nabi Sensoy said that the United States is not doing enough to influence Kurdish politicians in key positions in the Iraqi government to crack down on the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK, which has been fighting for an independent Kurdistan within Turkey for decades. He said that Turkey has been pressing the United States to ensure that U.S. weapons supplied to Kurdish forces within the Iraqi army are not funneled to the PKK.

He did not suggest that the U.S. has been supplying the PKK directly. But he accused Kurdish members of the Iraqi government of allowing the group to operate in northern Iraq and to stage cross border attacks into Turkey.

The comments come as the Turkish officials have indicated that they are considering military operations against the PKK in Iraq, a move that the United States fears would cause further instability.

How restrained and sensible of the Turkish ambassador. He's obviously heard of that well-known "liberal" and "appeaser", Occam.

Would anyone on the wingnut Right like to redux the Bush administration's line on Iran now? You know - "it is inconceivable that the leadership don't know" or even that old favorite "which is worse, that they don't know or that they do?"

Or would they prefer "rogue elements, black market trading and insufficient oversight" as the narrative this time? Of course they would. Even if the PKK have also been attacking tagets in Iran, something I'm sure the Bush administration is just fine with.