Turkish military ready for ‘sweeping operations’ against PKK

Parliament, which returned from its summer recess on Oct. 1, debated the government motion as a top priority. The current mandate for cross-border operations expires on Oct. 17.

The Turkish military has carried out 24 air and land operations in the past three decades against targets of the terrorist organization based in northern Iraq. The TSK launches its operations around the Kandil Mountains and in the Duhok and Zap regions. Last year, the motion was supported by all parties in Parliament except the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP), which objects to military measures while a peaceful solution is being discussed.

On the other hand, the government, which launched its democratic initiative involving granting full citizenship rights to Turkey's Kurdish citizens, wants to use the military option to discourage PKK members from militancy.

Sources said the military operation is planned to be a coordinated effort with Iraq, Syria and Iran and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is expected to travel to Iraq on Oct. 15-16 to discuss the issue of eliminating PKK camps from northern Iraq. Turkey would like to see PKK members handed over. As there has been debate over pardoning PKK militants, Turkish officials indicated that amnesty for PKK militants is not under consideration. Regarding an “active repentance” law in effect since January 2005, sources said the law will remain in force for PKK members who turn themselves in.

Former PKK members who escaped from the terrorist organization's hideouts in the mountains of northern Iraq and surrendered to Turkish officials have been reunited with their families without being sentenced to prison, in line with Article 221 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), called the active repentance law.

If cooperation works, the first step in eliminating the PKK would be shutting down the Mahmur camp, a UN-operated refugee camp in northern Iraq whose closure Turkey has long called for. Meanwhile, Syria is expected to consider a general amnesty for about 1,500-2,000 militants based in the Syrian part of the Kandil Mountains. Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ had indicated that a general amnesty by Syria for the militants would ease Turkey's fight against terrorism.

In addition, Iran is expected to eliminate the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK), an offshoot set up by the PKK in 2004 to fight for Kurdish autonomy in Iran. A Turkey-US-Iraq coordination center against the PKK has been working to find out exactly how much presence the PKK has in northern Iraq.

However, sources said that it would not be possible to fully eliminate the PKK even with efforts from Iran and Syria because there are groups in the PKK resisting laying down arms. Turkey will offer an opportunity for the militants to return to Turkey but for the armed PKK members, Turkey will use military operations. Such an operation is likely to be in December and in spring next year, according to sources.

The first operation of the TSK against the PKK was on May 25 in 1983. Following the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in 1999, the TSK did not carry out cross-border operations in the region until 2003. But the American intervention in Iraq created a power vacuum in the area and the PKK gained strength.

The Turkish military's last cross-border operation was in February 2008. There were also air raids in December 2007. In these operations, supported by real time intelligence by the United States, 250 PKK members were killed, according to Turkish sources. As 35 Turkish soldiers died in the operation, Turkish officials started to rethink the effectiveness of military operations against the PKK. In the meantime, pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party (DTP) leader Ahmet Türk expressed his concern over the prospect of an extension of the Iraq mandate during his party's parliamentary group gathering yesterday.

“Parliament should work to produce peace instead of clashes and problems. But our Parliament has been put under [military] tutelage once more with the mandate. The ruling Justice and Development Party [AK Party] should make its decision. Will it back the solution or the problem? The extension of the mandate will make access to peace even more difficult,” Türk noted. The DTP leader also indicated that his party will vote “no” on the extension of the cross-border mandate.