ISTANBUL, TURKEY — Turkey delivered a tough message to Iraq and Western allies Tuesday: A cross-border attack on Kurdish guerrilla bases is coming unless the U.S.-backed government in the Iraqi north cracks down soon.
“We cannot wait forever,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned during a visit to London, saying his government had no choice but to consider “the military dimension.”
Washington issued its most direct demand yet for anti-rebel measures from Iraqi Kurds who hold effective autonomy over territory where the Turkish Kurd rebels have camps, and Iraq’s prime minister ordered the closure of all of the guerrilla movement’s offices in Iraq.
Turks have grown skeptical of repeated pledges from the U.S. and Iraq to tackle the rebel Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the PKK, so Erdogan went to London and his Cabinet ministers spread across the Middle East seeking to turn up the heat on the Americans and Iraqis to act.
Public anger in Turkey already was high over a surge in rebel attacks in recent weeks, and the uproar rose after a guerrilla ambush Sunday killed 12 soldiers and left eight more missing.
The PKK claimed it captured the eight soldiers, and a Kurdish website posted photos Tuesday of what it said were the hostages.
For a second straight day, tens of thousands were in Turkey’s streets to urge the government to stop holding back the army.
“Our patience is running out,” said Ilhan Keskes, a mourner at a funeral for one of the slain soldiers east of the capital, Ankara. “The government must do something before the nation explodes.” Tens of thousands of soldiers are already deployed in the border region.
Visiting Baghdad, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said Turkey expected international support for its fight against terrorism and ruled out the possibility of a truce with the PKK.
Turkey has dismissed previous rebel announcements of cease-fires, viewing them as a ruse to make political gains or regroup after setbacks in combat.
Iraq’s government ordered the closure of PKK offices and promised to curb rebel movements and block funds. The statement, issued by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s office, contradicted repeated assertions by Iraqi officials that the PKK’s presence in Iraq was restricted to inaccessible parts of the north that could not be reached by authorities.
