The curious sobriety of Turkey's Islamists

Last week, Russian planes killed three Turkish soldiers and wounded 11 in "friendly fire" on the same day as the new head of the CIA visited Turkey. 

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the incident was a "mistake" and expressed his sorrow, there is still no common agreement on the causes of the "mistake," as Turkish officials claim that they informed the Russians of the location of the soldiers 10 days ago. Nevertheless, the government and its Islamist supporters have exhibited a curious kind of sobriety in the face of this terrible incident. 

As freedom of expression remains terribly limited, the Turkish media has generally also refrained from scrutinizing the event. The reason for this restraint must be related to the policy of avoiding any confrontation with Russia. 

Still, the incident reminded me of the dubious quality of "friendly fire." Veteran SAS member Niall Arden's book on a clandestine mission heading by himself in Iraq after the U.S. invasion of 2003 (Desert Fire, The SA in Iraq- A Shocking True Story, Hodder & Stoughton, 2006) came to my mind right after the Russian friendly fire incident.

Among other operations in the book, Arden tells the story of a Kurdish force that encountered "friendly fire" by the U.S. on its way to Kirkuk. Arden writes that the issue was complicated by the conflicting demands and concerns of Turkey and Kurdish forces in Northern Iraq over the contested city of Kirkuk. Kurdish forces were willing to march to Kirkuk and take control of the city, while Turkey was extremely sensitive about preventing Kurdish control of the city and the Americans warned the Kurdish forces against their claims in response to Turkey's pressure. Arden writes that despite the American warning,...