Elke Dangeleit: Invasion of Iraqi Kurdistan is not a talking point in Germany

Journalist Elke Dangeleit criticised the lack of any response by the Western media regarding Turkey’s illegal invasion of Iraqi Kurdistan in a column penned for the German magazine Heise on Wednesday.

“The United States must have given a green light for Turkey’s invasion of Northern Iraq, which is in violation of international law. The other partners are either looking away, or silent,” Dangeleit wrote.

Turkey launched it’s military Operation Claw-Lock over the Iraqi border on 17 April, in violation of international law. The NATO member state justifies its invasion as a protective measure against terrorist attacks by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), the journalist said. “But that is not all.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is trying to regain his lost votes for the upcoming elections in 2023, she said, with aggressive foreign policy and by “ruining the democratic accomplishments of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria”.

“The rest of the NATO member states watch idly,” she said.

“Invasion of Northern Syria and Northern Iraq is not a talking point in Germany”

“In the shadow of the Ukrainian war, media coverage on Turkish human rights violations are rare,” Dangeleit said. “To begin with, there was no comment from the German government and especially from the foreign minister, the Green Party’s Annalena Baerbock.”

Public broadcaster ARD’s reporting on the operation consisted of a mere three minutes, according to Dangeleit, and focused on Ankara’s stance on the matter.

The German media does not even question Erdoğan equating any self-government in north and east Syria with the PKK, “in order to legitimise attacks and war crimes”, the journalist said. “Supporting this Turkish rhetoric also contributes to the ‘Kurds are once again caught between two-pronged attack of Turkey and ISIS terrorism’ discourse.”

Speaking to his ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) parliamentary group last week, Erdoğan said Turkey was “taking the fight against terrorist organisations to the source”.

“We thank the central government and regional administration who support our fight against terrorism in Iraq”, Erdoğan said. “Have no doubt that we will also crush the head of the terrorist state in Syria as well, sooner or later.”