Turkey: Looking to Formalize a Buffer Zone?

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said before heading into parliament Oct. 10 that his government is busily preparing for a military incursion into northern Iraq. Any such operation in the near future will be limited, but Ankara also appears to be working toward formalizing a buffer zone along its border with northern Iraq, which will help Turkey contain Kurdish rebel groups and Kurdish independence aspirations.