Associated Press

Members of the Turkish army's special forces demonstrate in the air during Republic Day celebrations in Ankara on Monday. Turkey will deploy special forces troops to Afghanistan, the government said yesterday, becoming the first Muslim nation to join in the U.S.-led attacks against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden.

Friday November 2, 2001

ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey, NATO's sole Muslim member, said yesterday it would dispatch special forces trained to fight guerrillas in mountainous terrain to Afghanistan to work with U.S. troops and anti-Taliban fighters.

With opinion surveys showing Turks are against sending troops to fight in an Islamic land, the decision by the pro-West government was a bold one, which could pay off in badly needed financial aid in one of Turkey's bleakest economic moments.

Turkey would become the only Muslim country to join the U.S.-led military campaign by sending 90 special forces troops in the war against Afghanistan's Taliban rulers and Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.

``It is not a war of the United States. It does not belong to the United States alone,'' Foreign Minister Ismail Cem told CNN international. ``This is our war, it is Turkey's war as well.''

``This is not a war against Islam,'' Cem said. ``Terrorism has no religion ... (or) geography.''

Analysts said Turkey's decision could make securing international loans easier.

An International Monetary Fund delegation is due in Ankara this weekend as part of monitoring of the government's economic recovery measures, and Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit told reporters that ``friendly and allied countries which recognize Turkey's importance will, of course, take Turkey's needs into consideration'' when it comes time for loan requests.

Such deployment could spur protests in Turkey, where polls suggest more than 80 percent of Turks oppose troop deployment in Afghanistan. Some Turks are uncomfortable with attacking another Muslim country, but most fear the war could spread to Iraq and then to Turkey, deepening an already crippling economic crisis.

Police in Istanbul used tear gas and nightsticks to break up a group of leftist university students who chanted anti-U.S. slogans and condemned the attacks against Afghanistan. Police detained 50 students.

Ecevit said it was inevitable for Turkey to join a war against terror, as it has fought radical Islamic and leftist militant groups at home. The rebel Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which has fought for autonomy in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish southeast for 15 years, appeared on a U.S. State Department list of foreign terrorist groups issued last month.

``It is (Turkey's) natural duty to participate in the front lines ... along with our friend and ally, the United States,'' Ecevit said.

Turkish troops could take part in combat against the Taliban, train opposition fighters and support humanitarian aid operations. They could also conduct reconnaissance missions as well as protect and evacuate civilians.

Turkey's special forces are experienced in guerrilla warfare after fighting Kurdish rebels in the mountainous southeast.

Ecevit said the force could head to the region as soon as possible to take up positions in northern Afghanistan and work in close coordination with U.S. troops in the area.

``As long as Turkey takes part in the campaign alongside the West, it will be easier for it to acquire the loans,'' said Behic Gurcihan at the Istanbul-based National Strategic Studies Institute.

Political analyst Huseyin Bagci at Ankara's Middle East Technical University agreed. ``The loans issue will become easier, but it is a side effect,'' he said.

Bagci also said military involvement would help Turkey's lobbying of the U.S. Congress to block a resolution that would recognize the killing of 1.5 million Armenians during World War I as genocide. Turkey says the figure is inflated and the Armenians died during civil war as Istanbul's Ottoman empire fell apart.

The IMF and the World Bank have offered loans of $15.7 billion. But the terrorist attacks in the United States and the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism have dimmed Turkey's prospects of recovering through exports and tourism, and Ankara is seeking additional loans of up to $9 billion to sustain the program next year.

Turkey's siding with the West reflects its desire to be part of the Western world. Turkey has a long-standing application to join the European Union. If accepted, Turkey would become the first Muslim nation to join the bloc.

However, building bridges with the West could destroy ties with Islamic countries who are already irritated by Turkey's secular regime. The Foreign Ministry sent letters to Islamic countries to explain its decision.

Hakan Kirimli, a Central Asia expert at Bilkent University in Ankara, said Turkish troops' possible involvement in combat in Afghanistan could lead to Turkey's alienation from the Muslim world.

``It is a very dangerous step,'' Kirimli said. ``Turkey must avoid being the Muslim member of a crusade.''

In the streets, there was uneasiness over Turkey's decision.

``I wouldn't mind seeing Turks in a peacekeeping force ... but why should we clean up (America's) mistakes?'' asked Istanbul shopkeeper Muslum Kaygisiz. ``They virtually created bin Laden, he was their tool for years against the Russians.''

Said kebab vendor Suleyman Karakoc as he carved slices of meat in Istanbul: ``Turkish soldiers will do a good job. But I can't decide if it's a job they should be doing.''