The decision by Turkey to launch airstrikes against Islamic State positions in Syria as well as to allow the US to use its bases for its missions against IS is an important (and long overdue) development in this war. Ankara, long criticised for not taking an active role in the battle against IS, also arrested a number of suspected IS agents in Turkey while carrying out its airstrikes.
Turkey’s apparent change of heart followed the killing by a suicide-bomber of 32 people in Suruc, a Turkish town on the border with Syria. There is also the possibility of the creation of a ‘safe zone’ along a 60-mile stretch of the Turkish border with Syria, which is to be welcomed. Such a move could help prevent IS recruits crossing over into Syria and as well as preventing war-experienced jihadists returning to Europe to carry out acts of terrorism.
Unfortunately, however, Turkish war planes also began bombing Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions in northern Iraq, further complicating an already very difficult situation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s view that he considers PKK as serious a threat as Islamic State is not only wrong but also very dangerous and counter-productive; the Kurds, after all, have put up a good fight against IS and play a very important role in the war against the jihadists.
Turkey has been conducting negotiations with the PKK, a Kurdish separatist movement in Turkey, and its imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan, since 2012, and a ceasefire existed between the two sides, which is now all but ended. It is true that the PKK was the first to break the truce with Ankara when it killed four Turkish policemen just over a week ago, which then led to Turkish jets bombing PKK camps in Iraq. The PKK then retaliated with a car bomb attack against a Turkish military convoy, which resulted in the death of two soldiers.
The PKK attack on Turkish security personnel was undoubtedly wrong but the massive Turkish retaliation was equally wrong. Furthermore, it complicates Turkey’s desire to join the US-led fight against IS. Although Washington considers the PKK a terrorist organisation (which is debateable) it strongly supports (rightly so) the Kurdish fighters in Syria known as the People’s Defence Units, who are strongly allied to the PKK and who have bravely fought IS and liberated a lot of Syrian territory from the jihadists.
If Turkey and the Kurds had to join forces against IS, instead of fighting each other, then the whole region would without doubt be a much better place
This latest escalation of violence between the Turkey and the Kurds is very unfortunate as it comes at a time when observers were expecting some sort of breakthrough between the two sides. In June’s elections in Turkey, the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) – a pro-Kurdish party which also appeals to liberal and centre-left sections of the electorate, as well as to many socially-conservative Kurds who abandoned the ruling AKP – managed to obtain 13.12 per cent of the vote, thereby surpassing the country’s high 10 per cent threshold required for parties to gain parliamentary representation. This perhaps offered an opportunity for Erdogan to reach a historic agreement with Kurdish separatists once and for all.
Many people, however, believe that Erdogan is gambling on the fact that ordering military strikes against the Kurdish PKK will turn voters to the right, and if a snap election were to be held (in the June poll Erdogan’s party lost its overall majority) the HDP would get less than 10 per cent of the vote and would be out of Parliament altogether. This is a huge gamble by Erdogan that could backfire against him – there was a strong swing against his party last June and voters might now continue this trend especially if they suspect him of ulterior motives when attacking the PKK. It is also simply a wrong approach towards the Kurds; the emphasis should be on seeking agreement with them, not seeking a military solution and trying to kick them out of Parliament.
Mr Erdogan has unfortunately disassociated himself from a ‘road map’ to peace negotiated by his AKP and the PKK, saying that peace is now not possible. He also wants to remove the immunity of HDP MPs, presumably to be able to prosecute them for their ‘association’ with the PKK (the two movements are not the same).
This is wrong; Mr Erdogan is no longer the AKP party leader, nor is he Prime Minister (though he still has a strong hold on both his party and the government) and the AKP led by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu should distance themselves from the President, resume peace talks with the Kurds and concentrate on finding a coalition partner instead of manoeuvring for a snap election.
If Turkey and the Kurds had to join forces against IS, instead of fighting each other, then the whole region would without doubt be a much better place.