Turkey: Military may pursue PKK into Iraq

By Vivek Thiagarajan
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, Middle East

ANKARA, Turkey- Turkish Prime Minister Tayipp Erdogan asked the parliament to authorize a military invasion into northern Iraq.  The purpose of the offensive is to attack a base of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

On October 7, the PKK claimed the deaths of 13 Turkish soldiers in the southeast province of Sirnak bordering Iraq.  A possible motive of the PKK attack was retaliation, because the Turkish military killed a high ranking PKK officer earlier that day. The Turkish authorities believe that the PKK members responsible for these attacks fled to their base northern Iraq, which is why the Turkish government believes that it must enter Iraq to stop the Iraq.

However, a Turkish invasion of Iraq would be a direct violation of the agreement that it signed with Iraq in September.  The agreement stated that both countries would pursue the PKK independently, but the agreement expressly prohibited the Turkish government from invading Iraq for the purpose of pursuing the PKK.

The PKK’s stated aim is to give the Kurdish people more political and cultural rights. The Kurdish people have a large population of people in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey.  Most of the Kurds live in a region called Kurdistan, and the PKK is a major proponent of making Kurdistan into an independent state.  The PKK is generally supported by the Kurds.

Irregardless of the PKK’s purpose, the Turkish government views the PKK as an illegal terrorist organization.  The constant fighting between Turkey and the PKK has claimed the lives of over 30,000 people, since the PKK’s founding in the late 1970’s.

The possible intrusion of northern Iraq by Turkey could destabilize the Middle East.  However, the rising tension in Turkey due to the recent attacks by the PKK has forced the Turkish government to take immediate action to appease the sentiment felt by Turkish people.  Thus, the Turkish government is weighing the option of taking immediate military action and unilaterally attacking the PKK in northern Iraq to protect its interests, even though this action would be a direct violation of its September agreement.

For more information, please see:

Al-Jazeera- Turkey Weighs Options against PKK- 8 October 2007

Al-Jazeera- Turkey and Iraq sign security deal- 28 September 2007

Associated Press- Kurdish Rebels Kill 12 in Turkey- 29 September 2007

Associated Press- Turkey Shells Rebels in Northern Iraq- 10 October 2007

International Herald Tribune (AP)- Turks weighing risk of cross-border incursion into Iraq to U.S.-Turkey relations- 10 October 2007

New York Times (Reuters)- Kurdish Rebels Kill 13 Soldiers on Turkish Border With Iraq- 8 October 2007

Author: Impunity Watch Archive