Issued on: 17/06/2020 – 14:10Modified: 17/06/2020 – 14:10
Turkey said Wednesday it has airlifted troops for a cross-border ground operation against Turkey's Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq, the first known airborne-and-land offensive by Ankara inside Iraqi territory.
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The offensive into the border region of Haftanin, some 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the Turkey–Iraq border, was launched following intense artillery fire into the area, said the Defense Ministry in Ankara.
The operation by commando forces is being supported by warplanes, attack helicopters, artillery and armed and unarmed drones, according to the ministry's statement posted on Twitter. It did not say how many troops are involved.
Turkey regularly carries out air and ground attacks against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, which it says maintains bases in northern Iraq. Wednesdays was the first known airborne and land offensive.
Turkey has defended its past operations into northern Iraq, saying neither the Iraqi government nor the regional Iraqi Kurdish administration have acted to remove PKK insurgents who allegedly use Iraq's territory to stage attacks on Turkey.
The ministry said Wednesday's operation, dubbed Operation Claw-Tiger, follows “increasing harassment and attempts to attack” military outposts or bases in Turkey. It said the Turkish forces would target other “terror” groups in the region, but did not name them, and shared videos of Defense Minister Hulusi Akar overseeing the mission at a command center in Ankara.
The development came days after Turkey launched an air operation in the region, which the Defense Ministry said hit suspected PKK targets in several locations in Iraqs north, including Sinjar, and targeted 81 rebel hideouts.
A Turkish military official said the operation began with artillery units targeting some 150 suspected PKK positions and was followed by an aerial attack involving F-16s, drones and attack helicopters.
Some of the commandos crossed the border by land while other units were transported by helicopters. The troops had began to enter PKK hideouts in Haftanin, the official said, providing the information on condition of anonymity in line with government rules.
'Rights based on international law'
It was not clear if the latest offensive would target the Sinjar region, where the Turkish government says has become a new base for PKK commanders. A video provided by the Turkish Defense Ministry showed Akar addressing the commandos, say they “will make history once again.”
"Turkey continues its fight against terrorists using the rights based on international law," said Omer Celik, the deputy chairman of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party.
Baghdad summoned Ankaras ambassador to Iraq, Fatih Yildiz, on Tuesday to protest Turkey's pounding of PKK targets in northern Iraqs semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
The PKK has led a decades-long insurgency in Turkey's mainly KurRead More – Source
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