2024-01-19T09:17:11+00:00
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/ The Turkish Ministry of Defense suggested carrying out more military operations inside Iraqi and Syrian territories against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
A ministry official said during a press conference, “Under international law and the right to self-defense, Turkey has every right to carry out operations to maintain the security of its borders. The Turkish Armed Forces have done and will do everything necessary wherever and whenever necessary,” according to Reuters.
These statements come after the killing of 9 Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq last week. The nine soldiers were killed in clashes with members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, prompting Ankara to launch air strikes and other operations in northern Iraq and northern Syria.
The official also added that the clashes took place in the Zab Valley region in northern Iraq when members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party attacked a security site of the Turkish Armed Forces, adding that the Zab Valley is the site of the operation that aims to completely secure the Iraqi-Turkish border.
He pointed out that on January 12, members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party launched simultaneous attacks on several Turkish bases in northern Iraq at a time of bad weather and poor visibility, but Turkish soldiers were able to repel all the attacks except one.
He went on to say, “In our battle against terrorism, Iraq and Syria cannot be separated. Syria is the main human resource for the terrorist organization, and there is frequent movement between Iraq and Syria.”
He pointed out that Turkey may conduct new cross-border operations in Iraq and Syria, and may also expand the areas where operations are carried out if necessary.
Since 2019, Turkey has carried out a series of cross-border operations in northern Iraq against the PKK, which it called “The Claw.”
It is noteworthy that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is classified as a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984 and killed more than 40,000 in the conflict.
While the conflict was always concentrated in rural areas in southeastern Turkey, before turning to the mountains of the Kurdistan Region in Iraq, which enjoys semi-autonomous rule in northern Iraq, in an area where the Kurdistan Workers’ Party has a presence.
Turkey also entered militarily into northern Syria, targeting the People’s Protection Units, which it considers a wing of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.