An Unforced Error: The Untold Story of the Suleymaniyah Hood Incident

One of the most significant events damaging Turkish – American relations in the 21st century was the “Sulaymaniyah Hood Incident” of July 4, 2003, which is widely recalled in Turkey today as the “Hood Incident” (Çuval Olayı). However, what happened that day is conspicuously absent from American histories of the war. According to a contemporary apologia from then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the decision to apprehend the Turkish soldiers was made suddenly “in view of time-sensitive and credible intelligence.” In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth, and the full story of the incident has never been revealed. What actually happened that day was a deliberate “sting operation” organized by Jelal Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), designed to embarrass the Turks and weaken their influence in northern Iraq. Colonel William C. Mayville Jr, commander of the 173rd Airborne Brigade supported and participated in the plan and Major General Raymond T. Odierno, commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division, approved American participation. This is a first person account of the decisions that led to an avoidable confrontation that escalated out of control which continues to afflict the Turkish-American strategic partnership today.