Türkiye has launched a new phase of its military operations in northern Iraq, targeting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and aiming to establish a security zone up to 40 kilometers deep into Iraqi territory by summer.
As Ankara steps up its diplomatic efforts with Baghdad and Erbil, it confirmed that its ongoing military campaign, operation Claw-Lock, has intensified since April 2022.
Coordination with Baghdad will increase, with plans for a new security meeting in the coming days.
National Defense Minister Yasar Guler echoed remarks made by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and told reporters in statements published on Monday that terrorism would “no longer be a problem for our country.”
“We will resolve the problems on our border with Iraq by the summer,” Erdogan said earlier this month, adding that the country has effective plans to wipe out the PKK.
The president has pledged the establishment of a “30-to 40-kilometer security corridor across the country’s border with Iraq and Syria.”
“Our fight has been conducted according to a plan for the past five years. Terrorism has been a major obstacle for Türkiye for four decades and Türkiye now has to take its counterterrorism efforts to another level. This is what the president ordered,” Guler was quoted by journalists.
“Our job will not be done unless we close this security loophole and clear northern Iraq of terrorists,” said the minister.
Guler added that a 30-to 40-kilometer security corridor is a specific figure as it was the distance from Turkish borders where PKK elements are located and can pose a threat with their resources to Turkish territories.
“If we can keep them away from that distance, our nation, our borders will be safe,” he said.
Guler noted that the PKK had a strong presence in northern Iraq, where they carried out military operations, noting that almost every hill in the rural area was home to “multistory caves stacked with food and ammunition supplies good for six months.”
“We cleared them all. Our troops reduced the movement of terrorists (reference to PKK fighters) through operations they conducted despite harsh terrain and weather. We will conduct a further sweep in the current area of operation and may extend based on (security) needs,” the minister was quoted as saying.
“Qandil is not like it was 10 or 15 years ago, thanks to our efficient operations,” he said, referring to the mountainous territory in northern Iraq where the PKK leadership was traditionally based.
