Turkey’s Role in Iraq: Violations, Attacks, and Calls for Deterrence
Baghdad has not been able to deter Turkish interference, and political disputes among Iraqi forces are hindering the move, some officials said
“As Turkey’s parliament voted to extend the stay of its troops in Iraq and Syria, its soldiers were holding families and burning villagers’ homes in Dohuk province in northern Iraq’s Kurdistan region.”
“In a blatant international violation of UN conventions, the Turkish parliament voted on Wednesday to extend the stay of its military forces in Iraq and Syria until October 2021.”
On the same day, informed sources and eyewitnesses said that a Turkish force of about 100 soldiers burned three houses in the village of Shayden in Dohuk province and seized a food supply warehouse belonging to Kurdistan Workers’ Party militants.
According to the same sources, dozens of Turkish soldiers broke into the village of Risi in the north of Bativa in the district of Zakho and detained a number of its inhabitants for several hours.
They also held a number of villagers for several hours before allowing them to return home after interrogation, the sources said.
Violation of sovereignty
“Turkey continues its incursion into Iraq and military offensives under the pretext of pursuing Kurdistan Workers’ Party militants, killing dozens of civilians in border villages in the Kurdistan Region.”
The party headquarters are spread over several areas along the Iraqi-Turkish border, from the town of Zakho to the al-Zab area in the Amadiyah district, north of Duhok, to the north of Erbil in the areas of Baradost, Khawacork and the foot of Qandil Mountain, located between Erbil and Sulaimaniyah provinces.
“Earlier, the central government in Baghdad sent two memos to Ankara’s ambassador protesting its military operations in northern Iraq, while the latter threatened to internationalize the issue and turn to the UN Security Council.”
Despite the diplomatic moves of the Iraqi authorities and the waves of popular resentment against the Turkish intervention in Iraq, Ankara continues to violate the sovereignty of the neighboring country.
Suffering and displacement
Mohammed Hassan, the mayor of Qandil in a mountainous area in northern Iraq, said many residents of border villages had left their homes since Turkish military operations escalated inside Iraqi territory following the announcement of Operation Tiger Claw last June.
“Following the second protest note from Baghdad, Turkey intensified the use of drones to track down the Kurdistan Workers’ Party militants in operations that often victimized civilians in agricultural villages.
“On August 11, two officers were killed and three border security officers were wounded in a strike on their vehicle at a Turkish march in the Sedkan district north of Erbil.”
“In response to the raid, Iraqi authorities canceled a visit by Turkey’s defense minister and recalled its ambassador to Baghdad for a third time.”
“At the time, popular and political reactions at the domestic, regional and international levels continued to mount against the attacks, as angry protesters surrounded the Turkish embassy in Baghdad and demanded that diplomatic and economic ties with Ankara be severed.”
Deterrence
Baghdad has not been able to deter Turkish interference, and some concerned believe that political differences among Iraqi forces are hindering the unification of efforts and the emergence of a unified position toward Ankara.
Sabah Zankana, head of the Center for the Union of Strategic Experts in Iraq, said it is likely that “internal disputes in the Iraqi political scene and the complexities of events in the region will push the government to turn a blind eye or not to take deterrent measures against the Turkish octopus, because Baghdad does not want to open another front in light of the crises that the country is witnessing.”
“The Turkish incursion into Iraq to a depth of 150 kilometers and the deployment of Ankara forces in Bashiqa and northern Iraq require a firm position from Baghdad,” Zankana said.
Iraqi political analyst Watheq al-Jabri said Ankara’s violations reinforce its disregard for the international voice, the freedom of peoples and respect for the sovereignty of states.
Al-Jabri stressed the need for the Baghdad government to take measures commensurate with the size of the Turkish aggression on Iraq, and to move immediately toward the Security Council.
“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a man who thinks in the way of Hitler, Staline and the world’s great killer.”
