US site: Storming of Turkish base in Iraqi Kurdistan is dangerous signal to Turkey

NEWS DESK

In an article for the US "Monitor" site by the Turkish writer Fahim Tatskin talks about the effects of the attack of the people in Başûr, "southern Kurdistan" on a military base there.

He said, "attacks by Turkish warplanes in Diralik region on January 23-25 killed six people, leading to a rise in the number of civilian deaths from Turkish air strikes to more than 20 in the past two years."

On 26 January, angry relatives stormed a Turkish military base in Diralik area and set fire to two tanks, tents and equipment. The crowd called on Turkey to end air strikes and respect the sovereignty of Kurdistan. Things got out of control as soldiers opened fire on the crowd, killing two demonstrators, aged 13 to 60, and wounding 15 others.

Turkish Prime Minister Recap Tayyip Erdogan's response was a threatening one, in which Turkish warlord Hulusi Akar also blamed the PKK.

The writer of the article says that the words of Turkish politicians are normal, but the unnatural thing is the pursuit of the Kurdistan government to calm Ankara and promised to punish "provocateurs" who, it said, were behind the unrest.

The author stresses that the storming of the Turkish camp - an unprecedented reaction to the Turkish military operations - a sign of what can be hidden for Ankara.

Aydin Seljin, a former diplomat who now works as a writer for an online magazine, believes that breaking into the base is a "major turning point".

In Baghdad, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry responded by summoning the Turkish ambassador and delivering a protest note. And condemned the actions that violate Iraq's sovereignty.

It is clear that the Iraqi government is unable to close Turkish bases by force, and any confrontation on the issue could increase the sense of anti-Turkish sentiment in Iraq that came to the fore when Turkey refused to vacate Basheiqa camp in 2017. These tensions may cast doubt on interests of Turkey.

A.H

ANHA