The Paper's reporter Yu Xiaoxuan
In the early morning of April 18, local time, the Turkish army's cross-border air and ground offensive, code-named "Operation Claw Lock", targeted the armed targets of the PKK in northern Iraq.
Turkish Defense Minister Akar People's Visual Infographic
Later that day, Turkish Defense Minister Akar said the Turkish operation was proceeding smoothly as planned and that the first phase of the mission had been completed. According to figures released by the Turkish Ministry of Defense, the Turkish army has killed at least 26 PKK militants.
While the world's attention is on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Turkey's sudden cross-border military operations are somewhat unexpected. In fact, Turkey almost regularly conducts airstrikes against PKK targets in Iraq. The operation focused on the mountainous regions of Medina, Zap and Awassin-Basyan in northern Iraq. Ground attacks on these areas are rare due to topographical and logistical problems in the border mountains, which pose a higher risk of casualties.
Founded in 1979, the PKK has been seeking to establish an independent state in the Kurdish-populated areas on Turkey's borders with Iraq, Iran and Syria, and the Turkish government has classified it as a terrorist organization and has been vigorously eliminating PKK personnel in Turkey. In recent years, the KKK's armed forces, which are active outside Turkey, have grown, which has deeply disturbed Turkey. Since 2020, Turkey has launched a number of military operations code-named "Tiger Claw" and "Eagle Claw" to cross the border to attack PKK targets active in Iraq and Syria.
There is less external resistance and a lot of trouble inside
The purpose of Turkey's operation is to continue to suppress PKK forces in northern Iraq, using the spring offensive of melting ice and snow in the mountains to destroy PKK hiding places and prevent them from further possibility. Ermel Chelik, spokesman for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), said on the 18th that the PKK is regrouping and establishing new bases in some areas of northern Iraq, and this operation is intended to resist large-scale attacks by the PKK.
Explaining the legality of cross-border strikes, Cherik said, "Ideally, our neighbours should be able to expel 'terrorist organizations' from their territory, but since they don't seem to be able to do so, we must protect our people on the basis of the right to self-protection as stated in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations." ”
It is worth noting that just before Turkey launched its military offensive, on April 15, Iraqi Kurdish Autonomous Region Prime Minister Barzani visited Istanbul and met with Turkish President Erdogan. According to the government statement of the Kurdistan government, the military operation was decided to be implemented after Erdogan and Barzani discussed the situation in Iraq, and during the meeting between the two sides, it was decided to "strengthen cooperation to promote security and stability."
Turkey has strong security and economic ties with the Iraqi Kurdistan Government (KRG). Oil from Erbil is transported to export terminals on Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast and is an important source of revenue for Iraq. At the same time, the PKK has been accusing Turkey and the Kurdish government of working together to kill it.
"Judging from the communication and coordination between the Turkish leaders and the kurdish regional government leaders, this is a planned and prepared military operation." Zou Zhiqiang, a researcher at the Middle East Research Center of Fudan University, told the surging news (www.thepaper.cn) that "on the other hand, choosing to act at this time may also have factors in the general environment, and the current focus of attention is on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and the external resistance to Turkey's cross-border military operations is even smaller." ”
The military operation comes at a time when turkey's domestic dissatisfaction with inflation and price increases brought about by the economic crisis has also reached a climax. According to Reuters, consumer price inflation in Turkey has climbed from 54 percent in February to 61.1 percent in March, the highest point in 20 years. Many in Turkey see the high-profile start of the cross-border campaign as an attempt by the government to distract the public from economic woes.
There are also voices that the crackdown on the PKK is aimed at stoking popular opposition to the pro-Kurdish Turkish People's Democratic Party (HDP). The People's Democratic Party currently has 56 representatives in 600 seats in the Turkish parliament and is the third largest party in parliament. A Turkish court last month threatened to ban the party's activities, citing the PDP's ties to the "illegal" PKK.
The People's Democratic Party on April 18 condemned Turkey's cross-border strikes. "The military attack on the territory of Iraq's kudzu area is illegal and a violation of international law. Even as it tries to portray itself as the 'peacemaker' of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the AKP has revealed its true colors. The party tweeted, "This war is for the survival of the AKP, and we cannot remain silent." ”
Consolidation of a presence in Iraq
Operation "Claw Lock" continues the Turkish offensive of the 2021 "Lightning Claw", "Thunderbolt Claw", and 2020s "Eagle Claw" and "Tiger Claw". A series of offensive targets were aimed at cutting off PKK's movement between its bases, which spread from the Kandil Mountains on the Iraq-Iran border to the Syrian border.
Although Turkey has carried out several cross-border operations in Iraq, large and small, the Claw series of offensives has ensured that Turkey has gained a permanent foothold in the region, particularly in Medina and Zap. Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soilu has said Turkey will establish a base in Medina to monitor and control routes to the mountainous areas of the Iraqi-Iranian border, where the PKK Central Command Center is located.
Zou Zhiqiang believes that overall, the impact of this action is limited. "The Turkish side claims to have achieved the objective of the first phase, which is to eliminate the active and assembled PKK militants, followed by further ground search and encirclement operations, and possibly to expand and maintain a military presence on the ground."
According to reports, Turkish drones played an important role in the operation, helping the Turkish army more easily find PKK militants hiding in the mountains, and also improving the lethality of the Turkish army's operations. But some military experts believe the mountainous terrain will make it difficult for the Turkish army to move forward. Mohammed Okan, a retired general at the Turkish Chief of Staff leading the operations center, told local media that the operation was not a quick operation and would take weeks or even months.
"This operation highlights Turkey's security influence in northern Iraq." Zou Zhiqiang pointed out, "At the same time, this also shows that Turkey's crackdown on Kurdish armed forces in Iraq and northern Syria may be strengthened, and the conflict between the two sides may be intensified in a small area in the surrounding area, affecting the local security situation, and the Iraqi central government has been very dissatisfied with Turkey's unilateral military action, and it remains to be seen whether it will trigger another tension in relations between the two countries." ”
On April 19, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador to Iraq to submit a note of protest regarding Turkey's military operations in northern Iraq. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement said the note was "harshly worded" and demanded that all Turkish troops withdraw from Iraqi territory and cease "such provocative and unacceptable violations." The statement also said that the Turkish side had not coordinated with the Iranian side before the operation, and in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law, the Iranian side has the right to take appropriate and necessary measures to deal with "such hostile and unilateral actions".
Competition with Iran
When Turkey launched its military campaign, another regional power, Iran, was also asserting its presence in Iraq. Iran has long wanted to bring pro-Iraqi political forces to power and secure Iranian influence in Iraq. More than five months have passed since the parliamentary elections held in October last year, and Iraq has not yet completed the formation of the government. Iraq's main Shiite political parties, including pro-Iranian actors, are recently holding talks aimed at ending Iraq's current political crisis, Iran's Fars news agency reported.
In last October's parliamentary elections, the "Sadr Movement" led by Iraq's Shiite religious leader Sadr became the largest party in parliament. Sadr's political platform holds high the banner of reform and anti-corruption, opposes foreign interference in Iraq, including Iran and the United States, and demands that pro-Iranian Iraqi militias "lay down their arms" as soon as possible, so Iran opposes Sadr's rise to power.
Iran has its own allies in the Iraqi parliament, including the Fatah coalition, which is largely involved by members of the Shiite militia Popular Mobilization Forces, the Power Coalition led by Qays Khazali, and former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Maliki. In the Kurdistan region, Iran's pro-Barzani competitor, Iraq's second-largest Kurdish political party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
In this Iraqi parliament, the Al-Sadr Movement has 73 of the 329 seats, and the pro-Turkish Democratic Party of Kurdistan (KDP) led by the pro-Turkish Barzani has 33 seats. Although the Sadr Movement became the largest party in parliament, it was not enough to form a cabinet and had to be allied with other political groups. However, on March 26, the Iraqi parliament failed to hold presidential elections on the same day due to the inability to convene a sufficient number of parliamentarians, and the presidential election meeting was postponed again.
In recent years, Iran and Turkey have worked closely with Russia, but there are big differences between them on regional issues such as Iraq and Syria. In March, Turkey's official news agency, the Anadolu news agency, published an opinion piece calling Iran the greatest threat to Iraq's stability. The authors point to Iran's "direct interference in Iraq's internal affairs for at least 20 years" by fostering militias, missile strikes, and influencing elections. At about the same time, Iran's Fars news agency also issued a document accusing Turkey of expanding its presence in Iraq, "suppressing Kurdish forces" and supporting "terrorists."
At the same time, pro-Iranian militias have also posed a threat to Turkey's bases in northern Iraq. Iraqi Shiite militia groups have previously declared opposition to Turkey's military presence in Iraq, repeatedly demanding that Turkey withdraw its troops and threatening to attack the Turkish garrison. On March 13, Turkey was rocket-fired at its base in Bashkar, northern Iraq. Reuters quoted Turkish and Iraqi officials as saying one of the reasons for the attack was a potential project for natural gas from Iraq's reservoir area to be exported to Europe through Turkey. However, some voices pointed out that this was a warning to Barzani not to support Sadr in the alliance negotiations.
Responsible Editor: Zhang Wuwei Photo Editor: Le Yufeng
Proofreader: Yan Zhang
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