Airstrikes and Turkish army checkpoints on the ground indicate a likely expansion of operations against the PKK. “Displacements and migrations” occur in civilian areas on both sides of the border. In 2024 there have already been 833 attacks and bombings, which have left eight civilians dead.
Erbil () – Escalation of attacks and military presence on the ground, with detachments of Turkish soldiers detaining and controlling the local Kurdish population. In recent weeks, the border area between Turkey and Iraq, particularly Iraqi Kurdistan, has become inflamed again and is in the crosshairs of Ankara and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who claims that there are operational bases of the Party in that region. of the Kurdistan Workers (PKK). According to a pro-government newspaper, Sulaymaniyah International Airport has been transformed into a “logistics center” for the PKK, and the Army is “ready to attack” if “such activities continue.” That is why Ankara has decided to intensify its military presence, indicating the possibility of an escalation in the prolonged conflict with Abdullah Öcalan’s movement, which has been described as “terrorist.”
Yeni Şafaka newspaper known for reflecting the Turkish government’s positions, spoke of an imminent attack on Sulaymaniyah airport, an important resource for the Kurdistan regional government. According to the paper, the airport has been transformed into a “logistical hub” for the PKK, which is used by both the United States and Iran to supply weapons to the group. If Turkey detects another delivery, the article states, it has decided to “strike.” The risk of escalation is also shared by the opposing front. A few days ago, the Kurdish news agency rojnews published images showing a new deployment of Turkish troops in Iraqi Kurdistan. Kurdish journalist Erdal Er, who commented on the events on his YouTube channel, interpreted these movements as “a sign that a much bigger war is coming.”
The Kurdish analyst and journalist states that civilian areas on both sides of the border are affected by military preparations, which causes “displacements and migrations” of the local population. That is why the journalist considers probable “the intensification and extension of the war”, especially in Sulaymaniyah, “which has become an objective” related to a “balance” of “air superiority” in operations in southern Turkey. Separately, last March the PKK announced that it had acquired weapons to counter Turkish drones, and published a video apparently showing the downing of an unmanned vehicle. While the militant group did not specify the weapons that were used, several reports point to Iranian-made kamikaze drones.
Added to the airstrikes is the increasingly widespread installation of checkpoints in Kurdistan, especially in the province of Dohuk, near the Turkish border, causing serious inconvenience to the local population. “When I returned home, they asked me for my ID in Turkish, but I didn’t understand what they were saying,” he told Rudaw a resident of Kani Masi village, Amedi district, on condition of anonymity. Residents are asked to identify themselves, the source added, and although the soldiers clarify that they “do not have any problem” with the local population, they ask them “to always carry their documents with them.”
The intensification of operations and the Turkish presence in Iraqi Kurdistan are also confirmed with figures. Ankara’s Armed Forces have launched at least 833 “attacks and bombings” this year in the region and in Nineveh province, causing the death of eight civilians, as explained in a report by Kamaran Osman, a member of the Christian Action Teams for Peace (CPT). The agency, specialized in Turkish operations in the area, adds that the most affected provinces are Erbil and Dohuk with 365 and 356 operations, followed by Sulaymaniyah with 102 and Sinjar, the heart of the Yazidi territories in the province of Nineveh, with 10 attacks. .
Many families have been forced to flee, leaving entire villages empty. A 2020 Kurdistan Regional Parliament study reported that there are more than 500 completely abandoned villages whose population has fled. Again according to CPT data, last year the total number of attacks by Ankara in Kurdistan and Nineveh was 1,586. They are part of the offensive that Turkey launched in 2019 against the PKK and was baptized as “Operation Claw-Lock”, which involves a combination of raids and attacks (with fighter jets and drones) and military presence on the ground with 10,000 soldiers committed on the other side of the border, according to data published by the Jamestown Foundation. In fact, this deployment has shifted the focus of Ankara’s military activities from internal Turkish territory to Kurdish-Iraqi (and Syrian) areas. On the other hand, the government has also made numerous diplomatic efforts in the last year to obtain the support of the Baghdad government.
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