Turkish Army Admits Preparations for Iraq War

"Apart from routine preparations for possible developments in the region, there is no comprehensive deployment or extraordinary measures in place," added the statement, the first official army declaration on its activities for a possible war in Iraq.
It also warned against "disinformation and false news which might cause concern among the people".
Recent press reports suggested that Turkey, the only Muslim member of NATO and a key U.S. ally, was deploying additional troops along its border with Iraq.
Reports also suggested that some 50 trucks carrying U.S.-made light weapons had recently entered northern Iraq which has been run by breakaway Kurdish groups since the 1991 Persian Gulf War.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Abdullah Gul denied this, telling the mass-circulation Sabah newspaper: "Such a thing has not happened…
not a single truck has crossed over the border".
Washington is keen to secure Turkish support for a possible operation against Baghdad and is reported to have asked Ankara permission to use six airfields and two ports.
However, Turkey is opposed to a war in Iraq for fear regional turmoil would deliver a heavy blow to its economy and lead to the setting up of an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq.
The Turkish Army has kept a heavy presence in the country’s southeastern corner since 1987 when armed rebels of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) launched a campaign for Kurdish self-rule in the region.
Army Chief Hilmi Ozkok has also recently acknowledged the presence of Turkish troops in northern Iraq to fight the PKK, but has not revealed the size of the force.
The PKK abandoned its armed campaign in 1999 to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict, but the military has kept up its vigilance, calling on the rebels to either surrender.