Turkish military operation
The joint Claw-Eagle and Claw-Tiger operations (
Turkish : Pençe-Kartal Operasyonu and Pençe-Kaplan Operasyonu ) was a
Turkish Armed Forces
external operation in northern
Iraq .
[11] The operation took place in the
Qandil Mountains , the
Sinjar District , and
Makhmur , against
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets, as part of the ongoing
Kurdish–Turkish and
Kurdish–Iranian conflicts . Claw-Eagle, the air campaign, began on 15 June 2020. Claw-Tiger, the ground campaign, was launched on 17 June.
[12]
Background
As part of the
2013–2015 peace talks , the
Kurdistan Workers' Party agreed to move most of its fighters to the
mountains in
Iraqi Kurdistan . The
Turkish Armed Forces also established bases in Iraq which sparked regional and international condemnation. The
conflict reignited once more in June 2015, accompanied by ongoing
Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War and
harassment of Kurdish parties in Turkey.
[13]
Operation Claw-Eagle
Turkish Armed Forces bombed
Sinjar and destroyed multiple
PKK camps near
Yezedi villages. According to the locals, there were fears of
ethnic cleansing and
genocide by the Turkish State towards Yezidi's.
[14]
The Turkish government claimed that fighter jets destroyed caves in the Qandil Mountains used by the
PKK .
[15] The airstrikes also struck near
Makhmour refugee camp ,
[16]
[17] which hosts thousands of
Turkish Kurd refugees who fled the conflict in the 1990s,
[18]
[19] as well as
Yezidi villages in
Sinjar .
[14] The Turkish
Ministry of National Defense released a video of the airstrikes, claiming 81 targets were destroyed.
[20]
[21]
[22] On 25 June, a drone strike killed one
[23] or two
[24] PKK fighters outside a shop in
Kuna Masi north of
Sulaymaniyah , and injured six nearby civilians in the marketplace (two men, two women, and two children).
[23] Four of the wounded are in serious condition in Qalachwan Hospital.
[24]
Operation Claw-Tiger
On 17 June,
Turkish Land Forces launched a ground operation in the Haftanin region of Iraqi Kurdistan. Units of the
Hakkari Mountain and Commando Brigade and
1st Commando Brigade were airlifted across the
Iraq–Turkey border .
[25]
[26]
Iranian cooperation
On 16 June, the
Iranian military shelled the
Choman area of the Qandil Mountains,
[1] an attack that is believed to have been coordinated with the simultaneous Turkish airstrikes.
[2] The collaboration is said to materialize known alliances between Turkey and Iran.
[27]
Domestic reactions
Iraq
The parliament of the Kurdistan region criticized the attacks
[28] while Iraq demanded that Turkey stops violating the Iraqi airspace and terrorizing the population in the area.
[29]
[30]
In August 2020, Iraq canceled a ministerial meeting and summoned the Turkish ambassador as Iraq blamed Turkey for a drone strike that killed two high-ranking Iraqi military officers. Officials called it a "blatant Turkish drone attack" in the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq.
[31]
International reactions
UN-member countries
In June 2020, the
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom accused Turkey that it threatened Yazidis families who attempted to return to their homes in the
Sinjar . Turkey rejected the claims.
[32]
International organizations
The
Arab League condemned the operation based on violation of Iraq's sovereign space.
[33] Turkey criticized the declaration, on the claim of
PKK itself affecting Iraq's sovereignty.
[34]
Protests
Protests condemning the airstrikes were held in Duhok province
[35] but also in several countries in Europe.
[36]
[37] In
London a Kurdish protester forced a car transporting
Boris Johnson to stop in order to raise awareness to the situation of the Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan.
[38]
See also
References
^
a
b
"Iranian artillery bombs border areas within Kurdistan Region: source" . www.kurdistan24.net . 16 June 2020. Retrieved 27 June 2020 .
^
a
b
"Turkey, Iran defy Iraq's sovereignty in seemingly coordinated strikes" . Ahval . Archived from
the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020 .
^ Ergan, Uğur (16 June 2020).
"PKK'ya Kuzey Irak'ta 'Pençe-Kartal' " . Hürriyet. Retrieved 20 June 2020 .
^
" "У кого больше дивизий, тот и прав": Турция вонзила в Ирак "Коготь орла" " . Crimean Gazette. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020 .
^
"Fifth Turkish soldier killed in Kurdistan Region" .
^ 10 killed (16–17 June),
[1] 20 killed (18–19 June),
[2] 26 killed (19 June),
[3] 34 killed (21 June),
[4] 6 killed (22 June),
[5] 13 killed (23 June),
[6] 5 killed (25 June),
[7] 21 killed (26 June),
[8] 2 killed (27 June),
[9] total of 300 reported killed
^
"Pençe-Kaplan ve Pençe Kartal operasyonlarında 83 terörist etkisiz hale getirildi" . Haberler.com . 9 August 2020.
^
"Turkey hits 700 targets in Claw-Tiger Operation: Minister – Turkey News" . Hürriyet Daily News .
^ 3 killed (15 June),
[10] 3 killed (16–17 June),
[11] 2 killed (18–19 June),
[12] 3 killed (19 June),
[13]
[14] 1 killed (21 June),
[15] 2 killed (25 June),
[16]
[17]
[18] 5 killed (28 June),
[19] 2 killed and 1 captured (2 July),
[20] 3 killed (10 July),
[21] 2 killed (13 July),
[22] 5 killed (14 July),
[23] 1 killed (9 August),
[24] 4 killed (24 July),
[25] 1 killed (9 August),
[26] 3 killed (11 August),
[27] 1 killed (17 August),
[28] 2 killed (25 August),
[29] 2 killed (12 September),
[30] 5 killed (3 October),
[31] 3 killed (13 December),
[32] 1 killed (4 January),
[33] 4 killed (21 January),
[34] total of 51 reported killed
^
"Iraqis flee border areas as Turkey strikes Kurdish militants" . AP NEWS . 22 June 2020.
^ McKernan, Bethan (17 June 2020).
"Turkey launches major attack on Kurdish militants in Iraq" . The Guardian .
ISSN
0261-3077 . Retrieved 17 June 2020 .
^ Aliyev, Jeyhun (17 June 2020).
"Turkey launches Operation Claw-Tiger in northern Iraq" . www.aa.com.tr . Retrieved 27 June 2020 .
^ Hoffman, Max.
"The State of the Turkish-Kurdish Conflict" . Center for American Progress . Retrieved 18 June 2020 .
^
a
b
"Turkey bombs Sinjar villages in Iraq where genocide survivors live" . The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com .
^
"Turkish jets strike Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq" . Reuters . 14 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020 .
^
"MSB duyurdu: Mahmur Kampı çevresi ve Şengal'e hava saldırısı" . aktifhaber.com (in Turkish). 15 June 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2020 .
^
"Turkey carries out dozens of airstrikes in Iraq's Kurdistan region" . Bianet . 15 June 2020.
^
"Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Refugees' Movements Restricted" . Human Rights Watch . 27 November 2019. Retrieved 15 June 2020 .
^
"Turkey's war on the Kurds" . newsgroups.derkeiler.com .
^
"Turkish Military" . Twitter . Retrieved 15 June 2020 .
^
"Turkey's Air Force Strikes Kurdish Separatists in Iraq" . ca.finance.yahoo.com . Retrieved 15 June 2020 .
^
"Turkish fighter jets attack PKK sites in northern Iraq" . www.aljazeera.com . Retrieved 15 June 2020 .
^
a
b
" 'Fighter' killed, civilians roiled as warplanes strike near tourist resort in Sulaimani: mayor" . www.rudaw.net . Retrieved 26 June 2020 .
^
a
b Corporation, Nalia.
"Two killed, six others wounded in Turkish airstrike on Sulaimani's Kuna Masi town" . nrttv.com . Retrieved 26 June 2020 .
^
"T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı Twitter" . Twitter . Retrieved 17 June 2020 .
^
"Turkey launches Operation Claw-Tiger in northern Iraq" . www.aa.com.tr .
^
"With assault on Iraq, Turkey and Iran cement a partnership in crime" . Arab News . 21 June 2020.
^
"Parliament's Presidency condemns Turkey's recent military attacks inside Kurdistan" . Kurdistan Parliament . Retrieved 21 June 2020 .
^
"Iraq summons Turkey's ambassador to protest airstrikes" . Al Arabiya English . 16 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020 .
^
"Iraq criticizes Turkey for reported air raid on its territory" . Al Arabiya English . 15 June 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2020 .
^
"Iraq fumes against Turkey over deadly drone attack" . Al Jazeera . 12 August 2020.
^
"Turkey rejects US body's accusations on anti-terror ops – Turkey News" . Hürriyet Daily News .
^ ROJINFO (16 June 2020).
"La Ligue arabe condamne l'incursion de l'armée turque au nord de l'Irak" . RojInfo (in French). Retrieved 17 June 2020 .
^ Şafak, Yeni.
"Turkey slams Arab League chief's remarks on operation" . Yeni Şafak (in Turkish). Retrieved 17 June 2020 .
^ Wali, Zhelwan.
"Two protesters wounded in demonstration against Turkish airstrikes in Duhok province" . www.rudaw.net . Retrieved 20 June 2020 .
^
"Kurds protest Turkey's attacks on Kurdistan across Germany" . ANF News . Retrieved 20 June 2020 .
^
"Actvists in Linz, Duisburg and Marseille protest Turkish attacks" . ANF News . Retrieved 21 June 2020 .
^ Staff (17 June 2020).
"No injuries as UK PM Johnson's car shunted by security vehicle: Reuters witnesses" .
Reuters . Retrieved 20 April 2021 .