ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Kurdish villagers in Duhok province speak about the terror that has engulfed their scenic region as Turkey launched yet another cross border operation targeting militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Turkey launched a new cross-border military offensive on Friday night against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region, dubbed Operation Claw-Lightning and Claw-Thunderbolt. The Metina and Avashin areas of Duhok’s mountainous frontier with Turkey are the focus of the incursion.

“Unfortunately, the Iraqi government doesn’t carry out its responsibility to protect Iraq’s sovereignty. They consider the protection of borders only through customs and border crossings, checking how much oil has been sold by the Kurdistan Region,” said Reving Heruri, head of parliament’s Peshmerga committee.

The operation was carried out “with respect for Iraq’s territorial integrity” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday adding that his government’s action inside Iraqi territory “will contribute to the establishment of peace and security in the region.”

The head of a village in the area of the operation disagreed and said that people are fleeing for their lives as Turkish bombs fall on the ground. “We are very worried. Our people were all at home as it was the weekend and the village was very crowded. During the attack, no one remained in the village except me and the families of Saeed and Zaki,” said Mahmood Hussein, mukhtar (chief) of Kesta village. “Our families always stay in the village. No one else has remained. Who should we ask for help? This is our main problem.”

Turkey’s Defence Ministry published video of the operation set to dramatic music and showing dozens of American-made F-16 fighter jets and attack helicopters spraying mountain tops with smart missiles, bombs, and guided ammunition. Troops are shown being dropped onto peaks reportedly in the Kurdistan Region accompanied by intense barrages of artillery and rocket fire.

PKK media outlets claimed that the guerrillas, armed with small arms, “inflicted heavy losses on the Turkish occupation army.”

The Turkish army used “toxic gasses” on Mamreso Hill in Avashin in Duhok province, PKK-linked media ANF claimed, without providing evidence. The outlet added that the incident happened when Turkish Special Forces were met with fierce resistance as they tried to enter guerrilla tunnels and bases on the hilltop.

The PKK is an armed Kurdish movement that has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. Turkish forces frequently conduct air and ground operations tens of kilometres across the border, targeting alleged positions of the PKK, which has its bases in the Kurdistan Region’s mountains. Turkey has established dozens of outposts inside the Kurdistan Region since the 1990s.

Last summer, Turkey conducted operations Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger and said it had established 37 “military points” in the Kurdistan Region.

Dozens of civilians have been killed or wounded by Turkey’s bombs. In December, three civilians were killed in a Turkish airstrike in Duhok’s mountains.

A parliamentary report, published last fall, said that 504 villages have been emptied due to the Turkey-PKK conflict over the decades.

“Airstrikes have been conducted [here] a thousand times, from 1991 until the present day the Turkey-PKK conflicts have been continuing on this land,” said Saeed Rasheed, a resident of Kesta village.

Kurdistan Region leaders have not yet commented on Turkey’s latest offensive. In previous statements, both Erbil and Baghdad have called on Ankara to halt its attacks and have demanded the PKK cease using Kurdistan Region and Iraqi territory to launch attacks on Turkey.


Reporting by Hunar Rasheed
Translation and video editing by Sarkawt Mohammed

Rudaw