According to CNN, hundreds of thousands of Turkish troops are gathering at the Turkish/Iraqi border this weekend, following terrorist attacks on Turkish soldiers in recent weeks. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has threatened to invade northern Iraq to neutralize the Iraqi terrorist group known as the PKK, thatwas responsible for the attacks.

The Bush administration is not overjoyed. It was so troubled by having another country offer to help fight the war that Condoleezza Rice was sent to urge Turkish leaders not to cross the Iraqi border.

Turkey’s plans for war came to a screeching halt. Turkish citizens continue to thirst for war, but now their government isn’t so sure. Erdogan’s meeting with Rice gave him second thoughts about invading, and now Turkey will potentially ask the Iraqi government to deal with the PKK rather than take care of it themselves.

Our President has taken the one glimmer of hope for a world effort against terrorism and crushed it. He asked one of the only United States’ allies in the Middle East to keep its very capable army at home and delegate the responsibility of stopping the PKK to the ineffective, weak Iraqi military who can’t even secure Baghdad, much less the entire country.

The situation is a simple one: Turkey will continue being attacked if the PKK roam free, even though Turkey potentially has the ability to stop them. Iraqi forces will not be affected by PKK attacks, and are not capable of fighting them. So why would the U.S. government want Turkish forces to stay out of Iraq? Opposition to a Turkish invasion say such an attack would only destabilize the one relatively peaceful part of Iraq left, and be hopeless because Turkey’s military would never win battles in the northern Iraq mountains that the PKK occupy.

Wake up America. The Middle East is far from a stable region. Gunfire, both in celebration and anger, is a part of daily life, as are the bombings that plague parts of the region. Farmland in the “stable” northern Iraq is shelled by Turkish troops while PKK forces fire upon the Turkish forces from the hills.

Turkey has every right to cross the border into Iraq and start its invasion. Its people will die as long as the PKK continue to operate, and the government has full support from the people of Turkey to start attacks.

The only things holding Turkish forces back from launching an attack are the empty words of a country that did the exact same thing six years ago and is now stuck in a war where it needs all the help it can get.

The Bush administration said that the world needs a global effort to stop terrorism. Turkey is providing the only hope we have of accomplishing that goal. They said that their Iraq War was justified because of the Sept. 11 attacks, now it is Turkey’s turn to avenge its dead and they’re going to stop them?

For six years we have fought a losing war, despite their claims of “progress” and hope for victory. Now we are not alone, and the first real opportunity for victory has slapped us in the face and we don’t even know it.

Don’t leave American sons to fight alone, Mr. President. Don’t forsake us by sending away the only help we may ever have. If Turkey wants to help fight terrorism, let them.

Columnist: Michael Heil - 12/05/07