Turkey Ready to Invade Northern Iraq

Conditions in Iraq continue to deteriorate. The US is arming it's former enemies in Anbar, further destabilizing Iraq while in Washington gears up to begin a phased withdrawal that seems to slated to begin next year. I suppose the military plan will be to pull back to the green zone and defend a figurehead government while the militias who already control the country fight it out in a civil war.
Meanwhile, the one so far peaceful part of Iraq is about to explode under an Turkish invasion designed to not only stop cross border incidents with Turkey, but to cast an intimidating pall on the coming vote in Kirkuk to determine it's regional affiliation.
The Daily Star

Turkey's government and military have agreed on detailed plans for a cross-border operation against Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq, the foreign minister said Friday. Abdullah Gul urged the United States and Iraq, which oppose a Turkish military move into Iraq, to crack down on rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. But he said Turkey was ready to stage an offensive if necessary.


"We have decided how to act, everything is clear," Gul told private NTV television. "We know what to do and when to do it," he said without providing details.


The government has come under pressure from the opposition to launch a military incursion as the country gears up for parliamentary polls on July 22.