By Vivek Thiagarajan
Senior Desk Officer Impunity Watch, Middle East

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq- Turkey has decided to use air strikes to attack the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) in Iraq.  The PKK is a militia seeking an independent Kurdish state.  The attack followed the deterioration of diplomatic discussion between Turkey and Iraq, because the Turks believed that their interests regarding the PKK would not be fully represented through diplomacy.  However, the action by the Turks also shows its desire to avoid a full scale invasion of the northern Iraq, because a full scale invasion could be very damaging to Turkey.

Turkish helicopters raided suspected hideouts of the PKK.  The Kurds have stated that the raids have not affected the PKK militia but rather only hit abandoned houses and shacks.  The earliest reports also seem to indicate that no one was killed in the initial attacks.  The Turkish military must try to avoid to collateral casualties, because it must not allow the PKK to incite the 14 million Kurds in Turkey to join an independence movement.

Prime Minister Erdogan has been under constant Turkish pressure to respond to the PKK’s attacks on the Turkish military.  In the month of October, 48 Turkish soldiers were killed by PKK attacks.  As the death toll increased, the Turkish government has come under increased pressure by the Turks to take action to prove that the Turkish army can act independently to protect its soldiers.  The Turkish government seems to be somewhat reluctant about this aerial attack is a reluctant attack, because it understands that the destabilization of the region could undermine Turkey’s chances to enter the European Union.

The limited aerial strike seems to be a good solution for Turkey.  It will enable the Turkish government to show it citizens that it values its soldiers.  Also, assuming the number of Kurdish casualties are limited, the aerial strikes will not enable the PKK to garner the support that it needs to engage in a full secessionist movement.  Aerial strikes should not destabilize the region too much either, which will ensure that the number of casualties in the region will be very limited.  However, the strike will only be successful if it calms down the warmongers in Turkey and does not turn into a full scale invasion.

For more information, please see:

Associated Press- Turkish Helicopters Strike Inside Iraq- 13 November 2007

Economist- Back from the brink?- 22 October 2007

Economist- Iraq’s Kurdish leader in a bind- 8 November 2007

MSNBC News- Turkish air strikes inside Iraq- 13 November 2007

New York Times- Turkish Aircraft Attack Abandoned Iraqi Villages- 13 November 2007