Community Peacemaker Teams raises alarm over Turkey’s impending military operation in northern Iraq

ANKAWA, Kurdistan Region of Iraq — American organization Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) issued a stark warning about Turkey’s plans for a military operation in northern Iraq which is likely to focus on Mount Gara. Likely to be launched in the spring, the military operation posing a severe threat to the lives of 190 families across 39 villages.

CPT, which monitors border violations by Turkey and Iran in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, stated that the operation would likely be sizable, utilizing warplanes, drones, and helicopters.

The CPT’s report unveiled Turkey’s extensive occupation of 86.2% of the Iraq-Turkey border, extending 40 km deep into the KRI, establishing 64 military bases after seven military interventions from December 2017 to April 2022.

Highlighting Turkey’s objective, the report outlined its intent to seize control of Mount Gara to seal off the KRI-Turkey border ostensibly to curb the activities of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê, PKK).

Current preparations for the military offensive involve bombings of villages surrounding Mount Gara, aiming to coerce villagers into evacuation, clearing the path for Turkey’s operation and territorial expansion.