PEREGRAF
Turkey’s foreign minister reportedly alerted his Iraqi counterpart by text message that Ankara would commence new military operations in the Kurdistan Region just hours beforehand, according to a source.
“Mevlut Cavusoglu sent a message by mobile to Fuad Hussein, Iraq’s foreign minister, who informed [Iraqi Prime Minister] Mustafa al-Kadhimi directly,” a senior Iraqi official told Peregraf on condition of anonymity.
The official added that Iraqi diplomats did not respond immediately to the message and that hours later Turkish military units began air and ground operations in violation of Iraqi sovereignty.
The operations, which began on April 17 and have been codenamed Operation Claw-Lock, are ostensibly directed against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) bases in northern Duhok governorate, including in the Matina, Zap, and Avashinareas.
Provocatively, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech to parliament several days later that the operations were being conducted in cooperation with the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The Iraqi foreign ministry rejected that assertion and sent a formal note of disapproval to the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad.
Meanwhile, fierce fighting continues between the Turkish military and the PKK, with the latter’s armed wing, the People's Defense Forces (HPG), saying that it was “responding strongly” to the new operations.
Both Turkey and the HPG claim to have inflicted numerous casualties against their opponent, while asserting that their own loses have been limited. The HPG says it has downed numerous helicopters and drones, while Turkey says it has destroyed several PKK bases and hideouts.