Türkiye is planning to clear a strategically key region in northern Iraq of PKK terrorists before winter arrives, according to Defense Minister Yaşar Güler.
The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will seize the northern Iraqi region of Gara and end the PKK presence across the mountains by completing the ongoing Operation Claw-Lock by November, Güler told Turkish newspaper Sabah on the margins of the NATO summit in Washington.
“We have now entered PKK territory that we haven’t been able to reach for the past 30 years,” Güler said.
Gara is strategically important for the terrorist group as a key location between its stronghold in the Qandil Mountains and extensions in Syria, namely the YPG, according to the minister.
Since Turkish operations have driven its domestic presence to near extinction, the PKK has moved a large chunk of its operations to northern Iraq, including a stronghold in the Qandil Mountains, located roughly 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of the Turkish border in Irbil.
“We have been eliminating the terrorists that enter our operation zone here and many others flee when they see our troops,” he said, noting that security forces have detected the extensive hideouts the terrorists have built in mountainous caves although weather conditions are proving a challenge for operations.
Once Operation Claw-Lock, which was launched in April 2022, is completed, the connection between Syria and Qandil will be severed, Güler said.
“We plan to take total control of the area,” he said. “I must repeat, as we have told our interlocutors many times, Türkiye respects Syria and Iraq’s territorial integrity. We only aim to fight against terrorism here.”
Türkiye aims to wipe out the PKK from its borders and create a 30-40 kilometer (around 18-25 mile) deep security corridor along the Iraqi and Syrian borders.
Türkiye’s escalating counterterrorism operations in northern Iraq in recent weeks have led to speculation that a wider summer offensive against the terrorist group is already underway.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan signaled months ago that they were considering more operations against the group this summer to clear the region of the PKK. Officials often emphasize efforts to close the security loop and sever the ties between the group’s leaders in Iraq and the YPG.
The “terror corridor” is already targeted by the army and Turkish intelligence in Syria and Iraq.
Unconfirmed reports say the Turkish army is already advancing along a road connecting Iraq to Syria and has occasionally carried out operations since last month. Airstrikes have also targeted Mount Gara, where the PKK members have a major hideout.
The PKK is known for using northern Iraq, near the Turkish border, as a hideout to plot terrorist attacks and launch attacks both on nearby Türkiye and locals in northern Syria.
In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
The PKK is not designated a terrorist organization in Iraq but is banned from launching operations against Türkiye from Iraqi territory. It nevertheless has a foothold in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous north controlled by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), where the central Iraqi government has little influence.
Türkiye's cross-border operations into northern Iraq have been a source of tension with its southeastern neighbor for years. Ankara has asked Iraq for more cooperation in combating the PKK. As a result, Baghdad labeled the group a banned organization in March and set up two military bases in the Zakho region in April.
