Turkey warns of an offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq

2024-03-27 18:47:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Turkey warns of an offensive against Kurdish rebels in Iraq

Turkish units in operations against Kurdish rebels

Turkey is preparing to launch a large-scale operation against Kurdish rebels operating from Iraq. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to end the threat from the Kurdish rebel group, the PKK, which has fought against Turkey for decades. As Voice of America correspondent Dorian Jones reports, Ankara is meanwhile trying to gain the support of Baghdad and Tehran.

For two years, Turkish forces have been conducting military operations in neighboring Iraq against bases of the PKK, which has been fighting for the rights of the Kurdish minority in Turkey for decades.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is now vowing to end once and for all the threat posed by the PKK and their allies in neighboring Syria.

"In the following days, action will be taken against PKK targets along the 300-kilometer border with Iraq. By securing the border with Iraq, Turkey is expected to create a new security corridor of 40 kilometers, similar to the one in Syria" , says Mesut Casin, adviser to the Turkish president and at the same time a professor at Yeditepe University in Istanbul.

Ankara received a further boost this month in the fight against the PKK when Baghdad outlawed the Kurdish group.

Turkish President Erdogan is establishing close ties with the leaders of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq. Analysts say such cooperation is vital to Ankara's goal of completely eliminating the threat from the PKK.

"Turkey will focus on the capacities of the Iraqi security forces, together with the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdish regional government. And Turkey wants to make a complete encirclement of all PKK members in Iraq and destroy them, neutralize them" , says Murat Aslan, from the Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Studies.

Turkish President Erdogan is expected to visit the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, as well as Baghdad, where the PKK is expected to be a central topic. Analysts say increased bilateral trade, as well as international transit of goods through Iraq and Turkey, gives Mr Erdogan greater leverage over Baghdad.

"The reward is the construction of the road connecting Basran with the Turkish border, which will bring billions of dollars to the budget of Baghdad. For this project to be realized, there must be stability and security in Iraq. Ankara wants to adapt its war against the PKK to this occasion" , says Aydin Selcen, foreign policy analyst.

But analysts warn that the PKK headquarters is located in the Qandil mountainous region of Iraq, on the border with Iran. This means that Tehran's support must be gained for the operation.

"Mount Qandil lies in Iran and Iraq. Whenever they do operations in the region, they go to Iran for shelter and come back later. So this campaign must be supported by the Iranian side, but this is not guaranteed. We will see what will happen" , says Mr. Aslan.

Rivalry between Turkey and Iran is growing across the region, and analysts say Tehran may be reluctant to support Turkey's demands, further escalating tensions./ VOA