Turkish Army has launched a large-scale military operation named “Claw Eagle-2” against Kurdish Workers Party(PKK) around Mt.Gara in northern Iraq since last week. While “Claw Eagle-1” hasn’t brought about meaningful results, Turkey undertook another operation. Turkey explained that the purpose was to eliminate PKK from its stronghold for securing the border. (Photo quoted from Yahoo)
According to Defence Minister Akar, the operation is significant not as operations Turkish army has conducted daily. State-owned TRT reported views of a Turkish expert that Turkish army seeked to strike the heart of PKK following Qandil, the main headquarters. However no one has explained how the Gara operation would make elimination of PKK from Iraq progress and it was not as ordinary Turkish cross border operations. If PKK elements are driven out from Gara, there are still a lot of mountains which are good to construct bases.
Turkey also vowed revenge because 13 military and security personales were killed by PKK. The NATO ally U.S. denounced alleged PKK's massacre but added "If Turkish claim is true". PKK claimed that Turkish plane bombed a place where Turkish personales were imprisoned. It is certainly true that 13 Turkish personales are dead but arguments of the cause become exchanges of propaganda. As for propaganda, a war crime of Turkish Army has been alleged. Kurdish media reported that Turkish Air Force dropped a chemical weapon on a valley of Gara. According to the report, the chemical smell still fills around ground-zero so it is difficult to approach the area hence no reporter could check on his own so far.
Iraq has never accepted Turkish claims but been cautions about Turkish ambition. The iraqi government has requested Turkish government to suspend Air raids and withdraw from Iraqi soil for years. Shia dominated paramilitary unit Hashad al Shaabi once advocated to drive Turkish troops out by force .An Iraq national parliament’s MP indicated that Turkey conducted the operation without any permission to deploy large numbers of troops to Iraq. Actually Turkish cross border activities haven’t aimed elimination of PKK but permanent deployment of Turkish troops in Iraqi territory. Iraqi people also feel so. Many Iraqis gathered in front of Turkish embassy in Baghdad to protest the cross border military operation.
This operation seems to be for more empowerment of the ruling party’s rule. The Erdogan regime has conducted mass arrests of HDP members simultaneously. As Muharrem Ince, a former presidential candidate, left his long served CHP, Turkish politics have become more fluid and messy. Amid the general election is awaited in 2023, Erdogan makes use of war to divide oppositions and oppress his critics. Criticism against military operations are easily denounced as betrayal to martyrs.
The operation won’t be any solution for securing Turkish border but Turkey has fallen into PKK’s trap more. Anger against Turkey is common among residents of Northern Iraq. Turkish army has been forced to conduct military operations while isolated from enemies. PKK has had a strategy to use national boundaries, which has divided Kurdish people since its establishment. Early PKK was hosted by Hafez al-Assad . PKK made use of national rivalry between Turkey and Syria. Thanks to the boundary, PKK could conduct guerrilla operations inside Turkish territory freely avoiding Turkish pursuit. Iraq has avoided total war with Turkey but constructed some bases in its Northern area to block Turkish activities. Kurdistan is often called ‘International Colony’, which is divided by Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran, as İsmail Beşikçi a Turkish sociologist advocated. PKK has taken advantage of Kurdish vulnerability against colonists vice versa. Iraq became Vietnam for Turkey more and more contrary to Turkish claim that the operation is a significant step to defeat PKK.
Roni Namo
He is an ethnic issue writer living in Tokyo. Since he encountered the Kurdish issue at university’s era, he has been covering and analyzing political movements of ethnic minorities, mainly Kurds. He has been better killed by the Kurds in Kurdish (Kurmanji) and is probably the only Japanese in Japan who can use Kurds. In July of this year, he completed the translation of a Japanese novel into Kurdish (unpublished). He is currently focusing on learning Arabic. He has also learned Persian and Turkish. He is training to become a multilingual journalist.
