Turkey announced on Monday April 18 that it had launched a new air and ground offensive against the Turkish Kurdish rebels established in northern Iraq. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said commando units, drones and attack helicopters launched the offensive against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) hideouts in three regions near the Turkish border .
“A large number of terrorists have been neutralized”, he said, assuring that the operation would gain momentum “in the hours and days to come”. The minister did not specify how many soldiers were involved in the offensive which, according to him, was launched on Sunday evening.
A PKK spokesman, who did not wish to be identified, spoke of“intense fighting between the Turkish army and the HPG [Forces de défense du peuple] »the military wing of the party. “The army of occupation [nom donné à l’armée turque par le PKK]which tried to land troops from helicopters, also attempted a land advance”he assured.
Visit of the Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan
Turkey regularly carries out raids against the positions of the PKK, described as “terrorist” by Ankara and its Western allies, which has bases and training camps in the Sinjar region as well as in the mountainous areas of Iraqi Kurdistan.
This precise military operation was intended to thwart a large-scale PKK attack on Turkey, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry. But the local media have been talking about such an operation for weeks.
The offensive was launched two days after a visit to Turkey by the Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan, Masrour Barzani, which suggests that he was made aware of Ankara’s intentions. Mr. Barzani had declared, at the end of his talks with the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that he was in favor of “expanding cooperation to promote security and stability” in northern Iraq.
The government of Iraqi Kurdistan has a complicated relationship with the PKK rebels, whose presence hampers trade relations with Turkey. The Turkish army offensives have also heightened tensions between Ankara and the Iraqi central government in Baghdad, which accuses Turkey of not respecting the country’s territorial integrity.