Turkish Parliament extends military mandate in Syria and Iraq, opposition parties denounce decision

ANKARA — On Tuesday, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey approved the extension of its military mandate in Syria and Iraq for an additional two years. The decision, made in presidential memorandum by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, claims to be aimed at protecting Turkish national security.

However, critics argue that this pretext has been repeatedly used to justify the Turkish government’s involvement in numerous conflicts, including those in Syria, Iraq, Armenia, and Libya. This involvement ranges from direct intervention in conflicts to supporting international parties and extremist groups with weapons.

Despite frequent differences of opinion on various issues, a rare consensus among the majority of Turkish parliamentary parties exists when it comes to the occupation of neighboring countries’ territories, notably Syria and Iraq. The only parties to t oppose the decision were the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (HEDEP).