BY FIKRET BILA
MILLIYET- Last week’s killings of five Turkish security guards in Mosul, Iraq caused great sorrow in Turkey. Afterwards, the government started to investigate the incident as well as explore additional security measures. There’s a Coordination Council established by the General Staff, Foreign Ministry and Directorate General of Security to determine and implement new security measures for Turkish visitors to Iraq. This council has a center at the Habur Border Gate. Security officials told me about these security measures:
1. Military planes will be allocated for transportation when required
2. There will be no independent entrances, except for secure convoys on certain days of the week
3. When appropriate, personnel will be carried on commercial flights through Jordan
This tragic incident offers important lessons for security. Ankara has been working on new measures, most importantly concerning the allocation of planes. In addition, the Foreign Ministry has diplomatic initiatives in both Baghdad and Washington. It’s pushing the Iraqi Foreign Ministry and the coalition to find the perpetrators of this crime and deliver them to justice. This was also conveyed to Ankara’s US and Iraqi embassies. Ankara is hoping to clear up the killings as soon as possible.
Other efforts to investigate the incident are continuing. Reports from civilian and military authorities overlap each other. Ankara is glad that US soldiers saw the incident from a tower, killed two of the attackers, and sent a division of soldiers to intervene. In addition, the injured were taken to a US military hospital, and the US also helped to transport the bodies of the slain, which shows that the US has no bad intentions. The attackers’ method and style and their dancing around the vehicle afterwards led Ankara to suspect terrorist al-Zarqawi’s group. However, Ankara is also trying to finger not only the direct attackers, but also those behind them. Ankara also thinks that the attackers and decision-makers might be different. Incidents in Iraq continue to raise Ankara’s concerns. The Iraq issue is on the top of security officials’ agenda.