Senior Iraqi security officials have arrived in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) to assess the impact of Turkey’s ramped-up incursion. Meanwhile, former Peshmerga Minister Jabbar Yawar accused Turkey of committing war crimes in its cross-border assaults.
Amid escalating tensions and Turkish military actions in Iraqi Kurdistan, Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani, has denounced Turkey’s incursion into Iraq. He ordered a delegation, led by National Security Advisor Qassem al-Araji to visit the Kurdistan Region (KRI), assess the situation, and establish a unified stance. A’raji arrived in Erbil (Hewler) on 11 July.
These efforts by the Iraqi central government come as former Peshmerga Minister Jabbar Yawar accuses Turkey of committing war crimes. In an interview with Roj News, Yawar condemned Turkey’s aggressive manoeuvres and highlighted the complicity of Erbil’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), in facilitating Turkish operations.
Yawar criticised federal Iraqi and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) authorities for their silence on Turkey’s military expansion. He pointed out that Turkey has established nearly 80 military bases along the 200-kilometre Iraqi border, with incursions reaching up to 40 kilometres into Iraqi Kurdish areas. According to Yawar, these actions not only violate Iraqi sovereignty but also flout international laws on cross-border military operations:
“The Turkish military presence and operations in Kurdistan constitute clear violations of international norms,” Yawar asserted. “There are no legal grounds for Turkey to conduct military activities outside its borders, and these actions must be met with international condemnation.”
In 2022 alone, according to his detailed report, Turkey carried out 641 such attacks, escalating to 220 attacks in the first half of 2023. Other statistics reveal that Turkish Army operations targeting civilians have resulted in 344 deaths, the evacuation of 162 villages, and the establishment of 71 Turkish military bases across Kurdistan.
“The continuous bombing and military offensives by Turkey have inflicted immense suffering on Kurdish civilians,” Yawar stated. “Innocent villagers have become casualties of this conflict, which I unequivocally define as war crimes.”
Footage from Bahdinan (Badinan) reveals the sentiments of residents, who compare the Turkish Army’s invasions to the Anfal operations during the Ba’ath regime.
At the end of his interview with Roj News, Yawar emphasised that Turkey’s actions not only destabilise the region but also undermine peace and stability efforts in Kurdistan. He urged the international community to intervene and pressure Turkey to stop its military operations and engage in constructive dialogue for a lasting resolution.
