DIYARBAKIR, Turkey Dec. 17 —
Turkey has plans to send tens of thousands of soldiers into northern Iraq if the United States attacks through the north, senior intelligence and military sources said Tuesday.
The Turkish mission would be aimed at preventing a Kurdish state and stopping a possible flood of refugees, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Some 4,000 Turkish troops, including engineers, have already been sent to the rugged, mountainous border region so that Turkish troops could quickly be rushed into northern Iraq if there is a conflict, said the sources, who have been part of the Turkish planning.
U.S. officials have apparently asked for Turkish permission to send tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers through Turkey into Iraq if there is a war. Turkish military officials have said that if there is an attack through the north, Turkey plans on sending its own soldiers into the region.
The daily Hurriyet newspaper reported Tuesday that Turkey is planning to deploy 65,000 to 70,000 troops in northern Iraq if there is a massive U.S. assault from the north.
A senior Turkish intelligence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that report. He said that Turkey is especially concerned that if Iraq disintegrates, Iraqi Kurds could seize the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk. Mosul is a key regional center, and Kirkuk is home to major oil fields.
Control of those cities would make the Kurds a significant regional power.
It is likely that Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq would secure the area, but would not take part in fighting against Iraqi troops.
There has been no immediate reaction from Washington to such reports, which have filled Turkish newspapers during the past few days.
Turkish military sources said that if any U.S. attack is from the south and there is no major attack from the north, Turkey would beef up its forces in the north, but the troop moves would be significantly less than if there were a northern attack.
The northern region is controlled by Iraqi Kurds, who live in an autonomous zone in northern Iraq. Turkey is concerned that if Saddam Hussein is ousted, the Kurds might declare independence. Southern Turkey is overwhelmingly Kurdish, and Turkey fears that Kurdish independence in Iraq could inspire Kurds in southeastern Turkey, where Kurdish rebels fought a 15-year guerrilla war for autonomy.
Turkey is also concerned that instability in Iraq could lead to a flood of refugees across the border. In 1991, at the end of the Persian Gulf War, some 500,000 Kurds fled to Turkey after Saddam crushed a Kurdish uprising.
As part of its Iraq preparations, Turkey has also boosted the number of soldiers it has in northern Iraq hunting Turkish Kurdish rebels. Those forces have been increased from some 5,000 to at least 7,000, a military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The Turkish Armed Forces are making preparations, taking measures considering different alternatives against any kind of development to protect Turkey's interests," the daily Milliyet quoted Prime Minister Abdullah Gul as saying.
In the past, Turkey has moved up to 50,000 soldiers into northern Iraq as part of its fight against guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK.
Turkey already has some 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers along its Iraqi border, a key site of guerrilla infiltrations into Turkey.
Asked how Turkey would react regarding Mosul and Kirkuk, Gul said: "We can't remain indifferent. We protect our interests."
Turkey was a key staging point for air attacks against Iraq during the Gulf War, and the United States is pressing for Turkish support during any Iraq attack.
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz visited Turkey earlier this month to lobby for U.S. use of Turkish bases in the event of the war.
Turkey has not yet formally responded to that request and negotiations over the bases are currently under way.
Although Turkish leaders have said repeatedly that they are against a war in Iraq, Turkey is likely to have little choice but to extend support to the United States, Turkey's most important ally.
"Although we don't wish it at all, if there is an operation, of course it interests us," Gul said. "We're already in it. If there will be an operation, this will be done by a coalition."
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