TurkeyÂ’s parliament resoundingly approved a motion on Wednesday allowing troops to cross into northern Iraq to crush Kurdish rebels hiding there, brushing aside appeals from the United States and the Baghdad government.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has played down expectations of any imminent attack, but the parliamentary vote gives NATOÂ’s second biggest army the legal basis to cross the mountainous border as and when it sees fit. AnkaraÂ’s stance has helped propel global oil prices to new record highs above $88 a barrel, though they eased on Wednesday. |