Massive Turkish op against PKK draws attention of President Erdogan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — In widely publicized operations on Tuesday, the Turkish military targeted Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions in the northern reaches of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, spreading fear among locals.

"Intense bombings started at 8 a.m. and lasted until 1 p.m. sparking fear among locals," Ihsan Chalabi, the mayor of Sidakan, told Rudaw on Tuesday.

The operation, dubbed 'Operation Claw' by the Turkish military, utilized fixed wing aircraft, helicopters, artillery, and ground forces. It centered on Mount Khakurk in the northern parts of Erbil province. Sidakan is 90 kilometers northeast of Erbil in Soran district.

Turkish forces gained control of high points above Khalifan village, Shakiw mountain, and Gulasew peak on Tuesday. Previously, the PKK and Turkish forces have clashed for control of the areas.

"The sound of the bombardments were felt and heard by people inside Soran and Rawanduz towns, as well," he said, referring to areas to the east in Erbil province.

He added in addition to Khakurk, other areas like Lolan and Sinan also came under intense artillery fire. 

Khakurk is about 30-40 kilometers south of the border with Turkey near Derecik district in Hakkari province, where the PKK and Turkey have been actively clashing.

The armed wing of the PKK, the Kurdistan Defense Forces (HPG), confirmed the Turkish incursion into "the Martyr Darwesh and Shakif areas of Khakurk in Southern Kurdistan with warplanes and helicopters at 23:00 on Monday..."

The HPG claimed Turkish media is trying to spread "lies and fake news to show that the operation is great."

Additionally, the HPG announced on Tuesday they targeted Turkish military vehicles in Basan, an area in Turkey's Igdir province. The Kurdish guerillas claimed they killed five Turkish soldiers and injured "a great number" more. 

No side immediately reported its own casualties from the operations which began on Monday, and the Sidakan mayor told Rudaw English later on Tuesday that he was not aware of any casualties. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who rarely mentions specific operations against the PKK, "wished victory" for his "brave soldiers" involved in the attack. 

He described the operation in a tweet as "a challenging operation against PKK fighters on Iraq-Turkey borders."

The Turkish Ministry of Defense confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that within the framework of Operation Claw their land and aerial forces launched an operation in the Kurdistan Region against PKK forces using Turkish commandos. 

"The operation continues with the support of ATK helicopters as planned," it stated.

Separately, the ministry claimed it "neutralized" nine "PKK terrorists" during the operation. Ankara uses the word to refer to those killed, wounded, or otherwise removed from the battlefield.

It tweeted the operation "continues successfully despite bad weather and rugged areas."

In another rare display, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and other top generals personally commanded the operation from a war room, according to the ministry.

Turkey regularly carries out airstrikes and military offensives against alleged PKK positions in the Kurdistan Region.

The PKK, a banned political party in Turkey, is headquartered in the mountains of Qandil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq near the borders of Turkey and Iran.

Its jailed leader and co-founder, Abdullah Ocalan, has released two rare and somewhat cryptic statements this month through his lawyers. 

Ocalan hadn't had legal counsel visitations since 2011, leading some to believe he is pursuing a softer struggle against the Turkish state for the party.

At least 4,356 people have been killed in clashes or attacks on both sides since July 20, 2015, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG).