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Turkey has escalated its strikes on Iraq’s northern region, where it has been battling the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) for years.
The escalation began in April when the Turkish military launched a large-scale operation against the Kurdish guerilla group, codenamed Claw-Lock. Turkey said that the operation is meant to neutralize PKK cells in the areas of Metina, Zap and Avashin Basyan in the Kurdsitan Region. Yet, its strikes expanded well beyond these areas.
On July 17, five people were killed and two others were wounded when a Turkish combat drone targeted a vehicle in the outskirts of the town of Haj Dijlah to the west of the city of Mosul in the northern province of Nineveh.
Kurdish officials said that the vehicle belonged to the PKK and that the casualties were members of the group. These claims were however dismissed by the PKK, who said that the vehicle was carrying civilians. Later it became known that the casualties were all members of a family from Mosul.
On the same day, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense announced that two service members were killed as a result of recent attacks by the PKK in the Operation Claw-Lock zone.
The situation in northern Iraq saw a major escalation on July 20, when a series of strikes which were attributed to Turkey hit several resorts in Zakho district of the Duhok province in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
The strikes claimed the lives of nine civilians, including a one-year-old child, and wounded 23 others. The casualties were a part of a 200-person group that came from the capital, Baghdad. Prior to the strikes, PKK fighters were reportedly moving in Zakho.
Turkey denied responsibility for the deadly strikes, blaming the PKK. Nevertheless, two shadowy groups, “Ashab al Kahf” and “Thar al Muhandis,” held Turkey responsible. The pro-Iranian groups claimed that they have struck Turkish bases in Duhok with drones and rockets.
The deadly strikes on Zakho led to a series of protests against Turkey in different parts of Iraq. This forced the government to take action. The country’s National Security Council held an emergency meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to discuss the strikes.
The council decided that Turkey must “submit an official apology and withdraw its military forces from all Iraqi lands.” The council also called for cooperation with the Kurdistan Regional Government to prevent further attacks and the summoning of the Turkish ambassador to Iraq, as well as preparing a report on the repeated Turkish violations of Iraqi sovereignty.
Turkey will not likely back down, as it believes it is within its right to chase the PKK in northern Iraq. This strict stand will likely lead to even more escalation with Iraq.
