Turkish officials hint at new military campaign in northern Iraq, KCK responds with defiance

ANKARA / ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq — In Ankara, Turkish officials have hinted at their intention to launch a new security campaign against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê, PKK), which has been in armed conflict with the Turkish state since the 1980s, both in Turkey and northern Iraq.

In response, Duran Kalkan, an official of the Kurdistan Communities Union (Koma Civakên Kurdistanê, KCK), condemned the militant policies of the Turkish government of the Justice and Development Party and the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party.

Kalkan emphasized that the guerrilla forces are prepared to retaliate against any Turkish aggression, utilizing heavy weapons and advanced military technologies, with the support of external forces, to counter and defeat any attacks by Turkey.

Kalkan stated that Turkey has overestimated its strength, asserting that there are no obstacles preventing the guerrilla forces from repelling Turkish attacks.

Addressing Turkey directly, Kalkan accused the government of attempting to garner support through the use of weapons, emphasizing that the true strength lies with the guerrilla forces.

He emphasized that the dynamics of the conflict have evolved, warning that the Turkish government will face fierce resistance and ultimate defeat, while the guerrilla forces will capitalize on strategic opportunities to their advantage.

Increased Turkish military operations in the KRI and northern Iraq are likely to have a profound negative impact on the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian and Yezidi peoples.

Since the summer of 2020, Turkey has engaged in a cross-border military operation ostensibly targeting the PKK.

However, Turkish drone and air strikes have repeatedly targeted areas without a PKK presence displacing thousands of Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian and Yezidi families, according to locals.

In 2020, Human Rights Watch criticized Turkey for failing to take adequate measures to minimize civilian casualties after an air strike on 25 June injured six civilians and damaged a popular tourist town in Sulaymaniyah Province.

Thousands of civilians have been displaced across northern Iraq by the ongoing Turkish operations.

The PKK has accused Turkey of using prohibited chemical weapons in its recent military operations. It is not the first time such allegations have been made.

In 2010, German media outlet Spiegel reported that activists gave photos of the bodies of eight individuals believed to be PKK fighters covered in what appeared to be severe chemical burns to a German human rights delegation. Hans Baumann, a German expert on photo forgeries, confirmed the authenticity of the photos. A forensics report released by the Hamburg University Hospital said that it is highly probable that the eight individuals died “due to the use of chemical substances.”

Autopsies were reportedly conducted by Turkish authorities on the bodies but were never released.