Special to WorldTribune.com
The war on terrorism in Iraq and Syria is in danger of spreading to Turkey which could have explosive consequences.
Turkey is beginning to feel the heat from the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) in Syria after months of reports it was effectively enabling ISIL in order to thwart insurgent Kurdish groups at home and abroad.
When Turkey finally took action late last week against ISIL forces in Syria it also targeted Kurdish PKK “terrorists” in Iraq who it sees as aligned with the Kurdish YPG militia is Syria which has been coordinating effectively with U.S. air strikes against ISIL.
Turkey on July 25 launched air strikes against ISIL targets in Syria while, for a second day in a row, also striking the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, an action which was promptly defended by the Obama administration.
The air strikes came as Turkey, after months of negotiations, relented on the use of its Incirlik air base by the U.S.-led coalition.
The only effective fighting force against ISIL are the Kurdish YPG militia in Syria. But Turkey sees YPG as closely aligned with the Kurdish PKK in Turkey which it labels a terrorist organization.
[Related: ‘Game changer’: Turkey opens air base to U.S., carries out first air strikes against ISIL positions, July 24.]
Speaking at a press conference on July 25, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said nearly 600 terror suspects had been detained in raids on July 24-25, including suspects with alleged links to ISIL and to the PKK.
“I say it one more time: when it comes to public order, Turkey is a democratic state of law and everyone who breaks that law will be punished,” he said.
Turkish officials said the air strikes in northern Iraq targeted shelters, bunkers and storage facilities belonging to the PKK in seven areas, including Mount Quandil where the group’s headquarters are located.
The PKK said the strikes ended the peace process and a two-year ceasefire. The conflict in Turkey’s mainly-Kurdish southeast has killed tens of thousands of people.
“The ceasefire has been unilaterally ended by the Turkish state and the Turkish military,” said a statement on the PKK website. “The truce has no meaning any more after these intense airstrikes by the occupant Turkish army.”
The Turkish military said it also carried out artillery attacks against both ISIL in Syria and the PKK in northern Iraq.
Turkey launched the raids after a wave of attacks across the country last week, including a terror bombing in the town of Suruc which killed 31 people.
The strikes in Syria marked the first time Turkish fighter jets have entered Syrian airspace to attack ISIL on Syrian soil. Previous raids were conducted from the Turkish side of the border, according to the Turkish government.
The Turkish government has also agreed to take a more active role in the U.S.-led coalition fighting against ISIL, agreeing to open its airbases to allied forces as well as carrying out its own air raids.
Turkey enters the war on terror with air strikes targeting both ISIL in Syria and Kurds in Iraq added by World Tribune on
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