The Turkish government said on Monday that it has begun an air and ground attack in northern Iraq against banned Kurdish insurgents, using special forces and combat drones.
At least three Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) hideouts have been attacked by commando troops, unmanned aerial vehicles, and assault helicopters in three districts near the Turkish border.
Ankara and its Western supporters have labelled the PKK a terrorist organisation since 1984, when it began an insurgency against the Turkish state that has cost the lives of tens of thousands of people.
Iraq, where the PKK has bases and training camps in the Sinjar area and along Turkey’s mountain border, is a frequent target of Turkish assaults. Turkey reported that “our courageous pilots effectively attacked terrorist organisations’ shelter and cave networks as well as their ammo storage facilities.”
At least several terrorists had been killed, he added, adding that the operation will expand “further in the following hours and days.”
According to Akar, it has not yet completed an operation that began Sunday night.
“The occupying army, which sought to land troops by helicopters, also intended to advance by land,” a PKK spokesperson in Iraq told AFP on condition of anonymity when asked about Turkey’s operation.
The Turkish army and the PKK’s military wing, the HPG rebels, are engaged in fierce battles. According to the Turkish defence ministry, the operation prevented a large-scale PKK strike in Turkey.
There have been rumours about it for weeks in Turkish media.
Prime Minister of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region, Masrour Barzani, paid a rare visit to Turkey two days before it was launched, suggesting he was briefed on Ankara’s preparations.
Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s support for bolstering security and stability in northern Iraq, Barzani said after meeting with Erdogan.
Kurdistan’s government has a tense relationship with the PKK guerrillas, which makes commerce with Turkey more difficult.
But Ankara’s relations with Iraq’s central government in Baghdad have been strained by the offensives, which Baghdad accuses Turkey of violating Iraq’s territorial integrity.
The Turkish army started operations Claw Tiger and Claw in northern Iraq in 2020, and these current attacks follow in their footsteps.
Works at The Truth International Magazine. My area of interest includes international relations, peace & conflict studies, qualitative & quantitative research in social sciences, and world politics. Reach@ [email protected]
