Turkey has established seven new bases deep in Iraqi Kurdish territory, according to a report by international monitor Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT). The fresh deployment brings the total number of Turkish bases in the region to a reported 71, raising further concerns about Turkey’s de facto occupation of swathes of Iraqi Kurdish territory under the guise of operations against the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The latest update from the CPT, an NGO which provides updates from on the ground in the region formally known as the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), finds that “since the start of the new Turkish military operation, Turkey has conducted 238 bombardments in Iraqi Kurdistan, primarily in the Duhok governorate […] Turkish operations in Iraqi Kurdistan place at least 602 villages under the threat of displacement with at least 162 already displaced.”
The CPT further document the destruction of 2000 hectares of arable land, warning that Turkey has already penetrated twice as far into Iraqi Kurdish territory as during previous military operations, raising the spectre of a permanent military presence in the region aided and abetted by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), the dominant political force in the region which has long facilitated Turkey’s military operations against other Kurdish military and political actors even at the risk of imperilling Kurdish citizens.
Heavy fighting erupted between the PKK and the Turkish army in Amedi district in Duhok; an artillery shell landed in the village of Guharze causing damage to several houses and vehicles. Fortunately, no casualties were reported from the incident. pic.twitter.com/fRGYi2rEg9
— Peregraf (@PeregrafNews) July 5, 2024
A Turkish artillery shell landed in the village of Guharze causing damage to several houses and civilian vehicles.
In their update, CPT describe themselves as “highly concerned about this escalation of Turkish military operations and its harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure,” adding that they “fear that if the operations continue, hundreds of families will be displaced.” They described armed Turkish incursions into villages, the destruction of schools and a Christian monastery, and the establishment of Turkish checkpoints on Iraqi Kurdish soil.
The Turkish military presence in Duhok Governorate has ramped up in recent days, with dozens of armoured vehicles entering the area. Hundreds of Turkish armoured vehicles, tanks and troops have been deployed, setting up checkpoints and attempting to evacuate villages in the area.
Meanwhile, Vedant Patel, the US State Department Spokesperson, has indicated a de-facto US green light for the Turkish occupation of swathes of the KRI.
Three groups of civil-political activists and intellectuals have recently issued statements addressed to the Iraqi presidency, the United Nations, and all consulates located in the region. They declared that the Turkish government has occupied parts of Kurdistan’s territory and demanded a response to this violation of the sovereignty of both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq by Turkey.
