Ankara has built nearly 40 ‘military points’ in Kurdistan Region: Turkish presidency

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Turkish forces have almost 40 “military points” in the Kurdistan Region, including four in Erbil, Duhok, Soran and Zakho cities, according to a map published Monday by the Turkish presidency. 

The Turkish presidency’s Directorate of  Communications issued a map late Monday saying it has established 37 “military points” in border areas of the Kurdistan Region and inside the cities of Erbil, Duhok, Zakho and Soran.   

Turkey began air and ground military operations in the Kurdistan Region in mid-June with the stated aim of removing suspected Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) targets from the area. So far, five civilians have been killed by Turkish airstrikes. 

The PKK is an armed group struggling for Kurdish political and cultural rights in Turkey.

The map shows a Turkish military presence in multiple locations, spreading across the Iraq-Turkey and Iraq-Iran border areas in the Kurdistan Region. The Turkish army also has a base in Bashiqa, in the disputed province of Nineveh, despite multiple calls from Baghdad to withdraw from the area. 

Ankara’s presence in the Kurdistan Region has grown significantly in recent decades, particularly since the 1990s. 

Rizgar Ersi, a commander of the PKK, told the group’s media this week that Turkey is trying to establish “an occupation corridor” in the Kurdistan Region.

"It is trying to occupy a strip of land that is about 30 to 40 kilometres wide. If it succeeds in this, the attack will continue on a line from Qandil to Shingal and an occupation corridor will be built,” he said.

Iraqi border forces in Zakho have set up five bases in “strategic” positions in order to de-escalate clashes between Turkish forces and the PKK, as well as prevent civilian losses, a commander said on Thursday.

Hamada Dizayee, Commander of the Iraqi 1st Border Guard unit told Rudaw’s Hiwa Jamal on Monday that Turkey has asked Iraqi border forces to cooperate with them amid Ankara’s ongoing operation in the border areas, located in the Kurdistan Region

“Turkey has asked to build cooperation with us in order to secure the areas on the Iraqi-Turkish border,” Dizayee said. “We already have cooperation with the Iranian border forces to secure the areas on Iraqi-Iranian borders, and we meet every six months.”