The problem for the US is that it is entirely dependent on the success of its air campaign. “Kurds have witnessed betrayal for centuries” said Axin Bro, a musician.
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Five million Kurds have their own government in Iraq’s semi-autonomous north and have significant representation in the central government with several key posts including the presidency, which is allocated to Kurds.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been reluctant to get involved in the fight against the Islamic State group, the militant group terrorizing large parts of Iraq and Syria, however, after recent attacks within Turkish borders motivated the president to declare a “full-fledged battle against all terrorist organizations”.
Turkey began its most powerful airstrikes in Iraq since operations began on Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reports, hitting at least six Kurdish targets in northern Iraq and organizing a special parliament session to discuss a continuation of this military operation.
Ankara, which along with its Western allies officially considers the PKK a terrorist organisation, launched peace negotiations with the group s jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan in late 2012 and agreed a truce.
The PYD, with U.S. air support, has scored a series of victories against Islamic State militants, who have taken control of almost half of the Syrian territory that borders Turkey.
A missile-loaded Turkish Air Force warplane rises in the sky after taking off from Incirlik Air Base, in Adana, Turkey, Wednesday, July 29, 2015.
The Turkish government has cast the simultaneous moves against IS and the PKK, as well as the arrest of members of a leftist group, as decisive steps to protect the public and Turkish democracy.
Tensions flared again after an Islamic State suicide bombing in the southeastern Turkish city of Suruc last week killed 32 people. He told the president: “We are not going to let our young men go to their deaths just to cover up your filthy activities [corruption charges against government ministers]”.
The prime minister’s office added that a total number of 1,302 people had now been detained across the country in a total of 39 provinces in raids against suspected members of IS, the PKK and other militant groups. Some 31 have been charged so far, while 18 were released.
“The price Turkey wants for cooperation is a free hand against the Kurds”, said Jon Alterman, a former State Department official who runs the Mideast program at the Center for Strategic and global Studies. How effective could ground operation be? “We can see that the real focus is against the PKK”. By associating the party with external Kurdish separatism, Mr Erdogan is hoping to marginalise the movement. Kurdish officials charge they are being targeted more than other groups.
Many Kurds believe that by reviving the conflict with the PKK, Erdogan seeks to undermine support for the HDP ahead of a possible new election.
There were heated exchanges in Turkey’s parliament on Wednesday when Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu denounced the the pro-Kurdish HDP party for failing to condemn Kurdish militant attacks.
After Turkey started bombing the positions of the “Islamic state” and the PKK, Washington said that Turkey had a right to struggle against terrorists.
“The plan appears to be to ensure that conservative Kurdish votes return to the AKP in early elections”, Kemal wrote.
Five people died Thursday in new attacks on the Turkish security forces blamed on Kurdish militants, as Ankara stepped up its controversial campaign against the separatist rebels.
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It has stopped short of explicitly pulling out of a peace process, although it said on July 11 that Turkey’s construction of military outposts, dams and roads for the armed forces’ use had violated a ceasefire and that it planned to resume attacks.
