Kurdish journalist Diyar Kurda questioned US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller on the US policy towards Turkey’s recent ramped up incursion into the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), during a press briefing held at the State Department in the White House. Elsewhere in Washington DC, a NATO summit welcomed world leaders, as speculation rose over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s contribution, after his recent US visit was cancelled over diplomatic US-Turkey strains.
“Türkiye has advanced ..deep into the Kurdistan Region territory and carried out more than a thousand strikes so far this year,” the journalist began. “Do you agree with the way Türkiye is dealing with the situation in the Kurdistan Region in fighting the PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party]? .. This conflict has a huge impact on civilians and a wider impact on the region.” Kurda also prompted clarification over whether the US government has taken action to prompt Turkey into cooperating with local Kurdish-Iraqi factions, as well as Baghdad and Erbil.
“We have urged the Government of Türkiye to coordinate with Iraqi and IKR [Iraqi Kurdish Regional] authorities on cross-border military operations, and to protect civilians from harm. We also recognise the ongoing threat posed by the PKK and – but that said, we call on the Turkish Government to coordinate military operations with the governments of Iraq, Kurdish Regional Government, and other local authorities,” Miller responded.
Failing to address the journalist’s questions over the legitimacy of anti-PKK operations, and the impact to civilian life in the Kurdistan Region, Miller reiterated the US’s stance in urging cooperation between the Turkish, Iraqi Federal and Kurdistan Regional Governments.
The comments, first made by Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State Vedant Patel in a briefing last week, were deemed a de-facto ‘green light’ for Turkey’s cross border operation.
Turkish troops are deployed 30-40 kilometres deep into the KRI, establishing a raft of new bases totalling 71 in the region. Hundreds of tanks and thousands of soldiers are amassing, signalling a widespread occupation of the area facilitated by Erbil and Baghdad. The influx has caused locals to flee the growing risk of conflict, and villages have been evacuated.
Civilians have been subjected to identity checks in and around Duhok region, while airstrikes have destroyed homes, heritage sites and agricultural land. Turkey has carried out over 1000 strikes inside Iraqi territory this year alone, aggression vehemently rejected by Sulaymaniyah (Silêmanî) – based Kurdish factions in the contested region.
The US State Department press briefing this week runs concurrently with a NATO summit in Washington, marking the transatlantic alliance’s 75th anniversary. Speculation has risen over whether Erdoğan and US President Joe Biden will have the opportunity to meet during the major gathering of world leaders.
It has been mooted that Biden will press Erdoğan on increased cooperation with Baghdad and Erbil over the military incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan, but Miller refused to pre-empt outcomes of the summit.
Erdoğan’s scheduled visit to the US was cancelled earlier this year over differences on approaches to the war in Gaza, with his show of support for the Hamas leader adding to simmering tensions caused by Turkey’s close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the invasion of Ukraine.
Turkey’s dire human rights record has also caused friction in diplomatic negotiations between the NATO allies, particularly when it came to Turkey’s demand to ratify a bid for a major F-16 fleet revamp arms deal with the US in return for lifting a veto on Sweden’s bid for NATO accession earlier in the year.
