The US and Turkey may be considering joint action against PKK Kurd rebels operating in northern Iraq. A Turkish statement said the NATO allies were examining what joint actions could be taken against the PKK-KADEK terror organization. The US Dept of Defense said that an American goal is purging the area of the PKK. This, of course, follows the problems generated by the US arrest of 11 Turk special ops soldiers in northern Iraq. Eliminating the PKK would help resolve a major Turkish security concern and would be a confidence building measure of the highest order (confidence building being a diplomatic term for improving strained US-Turk relations over Iraq). Iraqi Kurdish factions would be asked to help the US in these operations. (Austin Bay)