Hood event
The Hood event (Turkish: Çuval Olayı) refers to a 2003 military incident involving Turkey and the United States shortly after the American-led invasion of Iraq. On July 4, 2003, a group of Turkish soldiers operating in Iraqi Kurdistan were captured by American troops and, with hoods covering their heads, were led away to be interrogated. Afterwards, American soldiers raided a Turkish safehouse in Sulaymaniyah and seized 15 kilograms (33 lb) of explosives in addition to sniper rifles, grenades, and maps of Kirkuk with circles drawn around positions near the local governor's building. Turkey lodged a diplomatic protest with the United States, and the Turkish soldiers were then released after spending 60 hours in American custody. Turkey has been involved in a long-running conflict with the Kurds, and one Iraqi-Kurdish intelligence official claimed that the Turkish soldiers had been linked to a plot to assassinate the newly elected governor of Kirkuk in order to destabilize the region, opening the way for the Turkish military to intervene.[1]
Neither side has issued a formal apology, though a U.S.–Turkish investigative commission later issued a joint statement of regret.[2] Additionally, Donald Rumsfeld expressed sorrow over the incident in a letter to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.[3] The Hood event severely damaged Turkey–United States relations; both countries are strategic allies under NATO. While the incident received comparatively little coverage in the United States, it was a major event in Turkey. It became known as the "Hood event" (referring to the manner in which the Turkish soldiers were taken away) in Turkey, and many Turkish citizens saw it as a deliberate insult.
Background
Turkey had long viewed northern Iraq, with its large mountain ranges, as a possible national security threat. During the 1980s and 1990s, Turkey fought against PKK, operating mainly in southeastern Turkey. More than 30,000 people were killed and millions more were displaced. During the war, the PKK established bases in Iraq and Syria.[4]
Turkish fears intensified after Iraqi Kurdistan gained autonomy after the 1991 Gulf War. In 1996, after a civil war had broken out there, Turkey deployed troops there to monitor a ceasefire between the two main Kurdish factions.[5] In 1998, Turkey was able to use military threats to force neighboring Syria to expel PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. However, because of the United States, it was never able to move decisively against the PKK in northern Iraq.
Under American protection, Iraqi Kurdistan had evolved into a
Turkey and the U.S. invasion of Iraq
By 2003, many Turks had come to see American foreign policy in the region as a threat. The election in 2002 of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) gave hopes that relations could be improved, especially given AKP leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan's positive comments regarding the US-Turkish cooperation in the Middle East, specifically concerning the so-called "Greater Middle East Project". Shortly after the election of the AKP tensions with America increased however, due to the Parliament's decision not to send any Turkish troops to Iraq further eroded US-Turkish relations. 70% of the parliament members were Justice and Development Party members. Although more than half of AKP members voted to authorize the troop deployment, a significant minority of the AKP along with almost all of the main opposition CHP voted against it. It was considered Erdogan's first significant political defeat as part of the AKP given his vocal support for the authorization before the vote.[citation needed]
On April 24, 2003, only two weeks after the
Colonel Bill Mayville, a U.S. brigade commander who was responsible for the region where this took place, accused the Turks of having links to the
U.S. raid on a Turkish safehouse in Sulaymaniyah
On July 4, 2003, soldiers from the
Bilateral negotiations
The Turkish military immediately threatened retaliatory measures, including closing Turkish airspace to US military flights, stopping the use of the southern
Aftermath and media coverage
The Hood event made a much greater impact in Turkey than in the West,
The event periodically gets front coverage in the Turkish media, such as in the mass-circulation daily
The Hood event was the inspiration for the
Claims
Various municipal and government buildings were set on fire in Mosul and Kirkuk by Kurdish forces on 10 and 11 April 2003.[17] A Turkish daily newspaper reported that the Turkish Special Forces soldiers, who were captured by US Army and Peshmerga, had already filmed the deed records and sent the digital records to Turkey before the historical records were terminated. The newspaper also reported that the US party was, in fact, in search of those records, but they were unable to find them.[18] However, Turkish Ministry of Public Works declared that the ministry archives holds historical deed records from the Ottoman era and there were no operations involved.[19]
Retired Department of Intelligence Chief of General Staff of the Republic of Turkey, Korg. İsmail Hakki Pekin, claims in his book named "Dikkat Cemaat Çıkabilir KOZMİK ODA" that, after the secret archives about Turkmens captured during the raid, local Turkmen leaders were assassinated or died in suspicious traffic accidents.[20]
See also
References
- ^ Washington, Michael Howard Suzanne Goldenberg in (7 July 2003). "US arrest of soldiers infuriates Turkey". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
- ^ "Regret over Turkish troops' arrest". BBC News. 2003-07-15.
- ^ "Abundance of 'Rumsfeld letters' in Turkish press". Hürriyet Daily News, July 20, 2003.
- ^ a b "Who Are the Kurds?". The Washington Post. February 1999. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- ^ a b "A partnership at risk?". The Economist. 2003-07-10.
- ^ a b Ware, Michael (2003-04-24). "The Turks Enter Iraq". Time. Archived from the original on April 25, 2003. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- Radio Liberty. GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- ^ Zabcı, Faruk (2003-10-24). "Çuval davası". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Archived from the original on March 29, 2005. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- ^ a b "U.S. releases Turkish troops". CNN. 2003-07-06. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- ^ "Briton held by US troops in Iraq". BBC News. 2003-07-22. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- ^ "Turkish fury at US Iraq 'arrests'". BBC News. 2003-07-05. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- ^ "Turks protest soldiers' detentions". BBC News. 2003-07-06. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- Washington Post. Archived from the originalon 2008-01-06. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
- ^ a b Howard, Michael; Goldenberg, Suzanne (2003-07-08). "US arrest of soldiers infuriates Turkey". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
- ^ "Çuval olayında komutan doğru yaptı". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 2007-10-03. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
- ^ Ekinci, Burhan; Çicek, Nevzat (2008-11-01). "32. Gün Iddianamesi". Taraf (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 2013-04-18. Retrieved 2008-11-15.
Amerikalıların Kuzey Irak'ta Türk askerinin başına çuval geçirilmesinin arkasında Irak Devlet Başkan Yardımcısı Tarık Aziz'den ele geçirilen arşiv belgelerinin bulunduğunu söyleyen Güney, Amerikalıların bu belgeleri görünce şok olduklarını ifade etti.
- ^ "ABD'den tapu güvencesi". CNN Türk. 2003-04-12. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
- ^ "Yağmalanan tapu bilgileri Türkiye'de". Takvim Gazetesi. 2010-11-25. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
- ^ "Musul ve Kerkük'ün tapu bilgisi Ankara'da". CNN Türk. 2010-11-26. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
- ^ "4 Temmuz'da Sadece Çuval Geçi̇ri̇lmedi̇, Türkmenler Öldürüldü". Aydınlık Gazetesi. 2015-05-11. Archived from the original on 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2015-05-11.
Further reading
- Gollust, David (2003-07-08). "US, Turkey to Have Joint Investigation into Soldiers Detention". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 2008-05-15.
- Harvey, Benjamin (2006-02-02). "In new Turkish film, Americans in Iraq kill for pleasure, Jewish doctor runs an organ farm". The America's Intelligence Wire. Associated Press.
- Howard, Michael; Goldenberg, Suzanne (2003-07-08). "US arrest of soldiers infuriates Turkey". The Guardian. London.
- O'Loughlin, Ed (2003-07-19). "Bad blood lingers after strange days in Kurdistan". Sydney Morning Herald.
- Vlahos, Kelley Beaucar (2005-04-07). "Rocky U.S.-Turkey Relations Persist Since Iraq War". Fox News.
- Zaman, Amberin (2003-07-29). "Turkish Parliament Approves Amnesty for Kurdish Rebels". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 2008-06-13.
- Zaman, Amberin (2003-07-07). "Turkish Troops in Iraq Freed by US". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 2008-06-13.
- Barkey, Henri J (2005-07-01). Turkey and Iraq: The Perils (and Prospects) of Proximity. Special Report. U.S. Institute of Peace. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-16.
- Nixon Center. Archived from the originalon 2008-11-11. Retrieved 2008-11-16.
External links
- Paratroopers of the 173d Airborne Brigade in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, 173rdAirborne.com, 26 March 2003 — 21 February 2004.