Turkey continues its incursions into northern Iraq

The prime minister of the autonomous Kurdish enclave in northern Iraq and head of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), Massoud Barzani, condemned the attacks against alleged PKK bases. On Monday, Barzani told journalists in Sulaimaniya, “We cannot accept that our villages are bombed and the inhabitants killed.”

In fact, Barzani has tolerated the bombings and done nothing to counter them. The main concern of his commanders is to play down the effects of the raids.

According to Turkish sources, the reaction of the Iraqi president and leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Jalal Talabani, was even more muted. He was quoted as saying, “We acknowledge Turkey’s right to defend itself against a terrorist organization. We know Turkey’s sensitivities. We will not stay silent, but we will not declare war.”

The Iraqi Kurdish leaders are well aware of the military superiority of the Turkish forces. Moreover, northern Iraq is heavily dependent on Turkey as an economic and trading partner.