Turkey's armed forces are the second largest standing force in NATO after the United States.
Turkey launched major incursions into northern Iraq in 1995 with 35,000 troops and in the second half of 1997 with tens of thousands of troops.
The United States and other Western allies, as well as Iraq, have urged Turkey to refrain from military action in northern Iraq after Ankara's parliament gave permission in October to attack Kurdish rebels there.
 |
Previous Incursions -- March 1995: Turkey mounted a six-week, 35,000-man operation into the Kurdish-held northern Iraqi regions on March 20, 1995, but failed to achieve its stated aim of clearing the area of the PKK. The offensive ended on May 2.
-- In May 1997, up to 10,000 troops launched a cross-border push into Kurdish-held northern Iraq, marking the beginning of a semi-permanent presence and regular operations there. On May 22, the Turkish army said it had killed 1,146 PKK rebels during the incursion and captured the Zap valley which it says was the main base for the PKK in the area. Turkey said it had withdrawn most of its forces from the area by the end of June.
-- In late September 1997, around 15,000 Turkish troops pushed into northern Iraq to fight PKK rebels, who have used bases in the area to strike into Turkey.
-- On December 5, 1997 thousands of Turkish troops backed by warplanes and heavy artillery launched a fresh drive against Kurdish guerrillas in northern Iraq. Up to 200 PKK guerrillas were said to have been killed in the two-week offensive.
-- In October 2007, Turkey's army boosted troop levels in the southeast to fight the PKK inside Turkey and try to prevent rebels infiltrating from northern Iraq. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is under growing pressure from Turkey's powerful armed forces and the opposition after a series of major attacks on security personnel in the region caused the deaths of 30 soldiers in two weeks. |
|
Military Might -- Turkey's armed forces are the second largest standing force in NATO after the United States. It has 514,850 active people, consisting of Army - 402,000, Navy - 52,750, Air Force - 60,100. Additionally, there is a paramilitary force of 102,200. Reservists are 378,700 over all the services.
-- The navy has among its fleet 13 submarines, 20 frigates, 21 fast patrol boats, 21 mine sweepers or hunters or layers, 52 various landing ships. The Turkish Air Force has over 440 combat capable aircraft. |
