Turkey Launches New Ground and Air Offensive in Northern Iraq

APR 18 2022·Updated DEC 22 2022

Story

Image credit: IHA Photo [via Daily Sabah]

The Facts

Turkey has launched a fresh ground and air offensive in northern Iraq targeting Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) bases in the area, Turkey's defense minister said on Mon. At least 19 suspected Kurdish rebels have been killed, and four Turkish soldiers wounded.
PBS NewsHour
In an operation named Claw-Lock, commando units and special forces, backed by UAVs and attack helicopters, have conducted raids against PKK positions in Metina, Zap, and Avashin-Basyan.
Al Jazeera
The Turkish defense ministry said that the operation came after they discovered that the PKK was planning a large-scale attack against Turkey.
Al Jazeera
Last week, Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Masrour Barzani, the PM of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region and leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which is a Turkish ally.
The Associated Press
The meeting suggests that the Kurdish leader may have been informed of the operation beforehand, especially as Barzani afterwards declared that he welcomed "expanding cooperation to promote security and stability" in northern Iraq.
Al Jazeera
This offensive is one of many that have been conducted in northern Iraq over the past decade, with Turkey also launching three full-scale invasions of neighboring Syria against Kurdish militants aligned with the PKK.
Reuters

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Turkey has every right to defend its border from the terrorist PKK organization, which seeks to undermine and provoke Turkish society. The Turkish military is fighting valiantly to eradicate Kurdish terrorism from inside and outside Turkey.

Daily Sabah

Narrative B

This is nothing more than a continuation of Turkey's genocidal campaign against Kurds. Turkey seeks to occupy all of northern Iraq, including the city of Mosul, due to Erdogan's neo-Ottoman delusions. The Kurds have just as great a right as Ukrainians to resist a brutal military occupation.