The lack of Iraqi political inertia in the face of Turkey’s burgeoning military actions in Sinjar (Şengal) and Iraqi Kurdistan has stirred international concern over sovereignty and citizen safety, specialist journalists Dana Taib Menmy and Amberin Zaman warned.
A Turkish drone struck a vehicle allegedly linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Tel Qasab, Iraq’s Sinjar district on Monday, resulting in multiple casualties, Iraqi media cite federal police sources as saying. PKK-linked media reported that two journalists, their driver, and a bystander were wounded in the incident. In her article published in Al-Monitor on Monday, Zaman notes that Turkey has intensified efforts to eliminate PKK influence in Sinjar, a strategic area for PKK militants moving between Iraq and Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria.
Turkey has repeatedly targeted PKK operatives in Sinjar in recent years. The region, home to Iraq’s ethnic Yazidis, has become a strategic land bridge for PKK militants. The PKK established a foothold in Sinjar in 2014 during the Islamic State’s genocidal campaign against the Yazidis, helping thousands to safety. The region is now dominated by various forces, including Iran-backed Shiite militias and Yazidi armed groups loyal to the PKK.
“This [Turkish] incursion has raised serious concerns over Iraq’s sovereignty and the safety of its citizens, yet both Iraqi and Kurdish authorities have remained notably silent,” said Menmy, in his article published in the New Arab on Sunday.
Menmy added that the Turkish army has advanced 15 kilometres into Iraqi Kurdistan, targeting the PKK in what marks a significant escalation of hostilities, according to reports from a US-based conflict monitor. Maj Gen Tahseen Al-Khafaji, spokesperson for the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, stated that the Turkish operation is politically motivated and beyond the jurisdiction of Iraq’s military oversight.
The recent increase in Turkish military presence includes checkpoints and patrols across Duhok province, the Barwari Bala area being one known to have been particularly impacted. And the ongoing aggression has led to significant civilian displacement and agricultural destruction in the region. The Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), a US-based war monitor, reported that 238 Turkish bombardments have already scorched over 20,000 dunams (2,000 hectares) of agricultural land, caused significant civilian infrastructure damage, and prompted an exodus from 602 villages in the province.
Clashes between Turkish forces and PKK fighters have resulted in wildfires and the destruction of local landmarks, including a school and an Assyrian church. As tensions mount, fears of displacement among local residents grow amid continuous mortar attacks and gunfire. The PKK is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey, and has been fighting for Kurdish rights for decades. Current conflict between Turkish forces and PKK fighters near Kani Masi (Kanî Masî) and Mount Metina (Metîna), is threatening further instability in the region, Menmy adds.
In March, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan threatened a major offensive to clear Iraqi Kurdistan of rebels, and in April, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey needed to clear Sinjar of PKK militants due to its strategic proximity to the Syrian border. Turkish ground troops have been moved from Turkey to reinforce bases in northern Iraq, focusing on severing connections between PKK strongholds. Murat Karayılan, the PKK commander, is said to be headquartered in Gare (Garê), where Turkish forces have made significant advances.
However, Zaman cites a senior Iraqi official who wished to remain anonymous, who has suggested that Turkey’s objective in Iraqi Kurdistan to be containment, that it aims to isolate and squeeze the militants in their strategic strongholds ahead of potential “surgical operations” rather than complete elimination of the PKK, as past attempts at that have failed.
