It’s not every day that official Tweets of the martial blade table. A message from the Turkish Ministry of defense from the beginning of the week, however, cannot be described otherwise. Via short message service Twitter, the Ministry said: “The Operation eagle claw began. Our aircraft bring to the caves above the heads of the terrorists down.”
the air attacks were Meant to be the Turkish armed forces in the Kandil mountains in the North-West of Iraq near the Iraqi-Iranian border and in the Region of Sinjar in North-Eastern Iraq near the Syrian border. The official objective: more than 80 positions of the outlawed Kurdish workers ‘ party PKK and their allies.
The Turkish Minister of defence, Hulusi Akar watched the attacks live in the command center in Ankara. He had the air of praise for the present military blows full: “With your involvement, your Sacrifice and your heroism in the Operation code-named ‘eagle claw’ was completed with great success. Terrorists esters were wiped out.”
Of the “illegal” bombings speaks, however, Kristian Brakel. He directs the office of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation in Turkey. From his point of view, the air strikes in Northern Iraq were part of a long-term strategy of NATO-member Turkey. Since the end of the peace process between the Turkish state and the PKK in the summer of 2015, it was the aim of the Turkish military, the PKK, to push back and weaken as far as possible. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have already frequently stated, “with his armed forces to the Kandil mountains”.
Indeed, would exclude military experts, such a wide Move due to impassable terrain, so Brakel. Nevertheless, the basic idea, “to put the PKK-which is permanently under high military pressure that it is no longer possible for attacks on Turkish territory to carry out would be”.
Blutigster conflict in the history of the Republic
the fear of The government in Ankara against the PKK is not unfounded: Hardly any inner conflict has shaken the Republic of Turkey in the past few years, as the so-called Kurdish conflict. The PKK, classified by Turkey, the United States and the European Union as a terrorist group, fighting since 1984 against the Turkish state.
To attacks of the PKK are usually followed by counter-attacks of the Turkish armed forces, and Vice versa. Over 40,000 people have so far died. Also, many civilians are among the Victims in the conflict that is happening to large Parts in the South-East of the country.
The author Düzen Tekkal, a jesidische Germans, fears that the recent air attacks now the Yazidis massively in the conflict are drawn. It calls for an end to the bombings. You should give the Yazidis in Northern Iraq, the hope that “after the Terrible, you have experienced more life,” tweeted Tekkal.
The Turkish attack has also taken care of in the case of the Christians in the Autonomous Kurdish Region in Northern Iraq for outrage. In an interview with the Italian press service of the SIR by the Chaldean Catholic priest Samir al-Khoury, in particular, the shelling of a jesidischen sanctuary, the mountain is located on the highest point of the Sinjar condemned. Not even the terrorist organization “Islamic state” there is damage, said Al-Khoury.
the area around the refugee camp in Makhmour had been fired, so in the spiritual. There, displaced Yazidi who had to flee 2014 the IS life, of the persecuted as “infidels” ostracised and brutally. According to the United Nations are murdered to date, over 5000 jesidische men, up to 7,000 women and children were abducted and more than 400,000 out of their home has been sold. In addition, there are numerous reports of sexualized violence in Jesidinnen in captivity.
the Turkey does not want to deliberately wipe out population groups, such as Yazidis, or Kurds, believes Kristian Brakel of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation. The attitude of the Turkish armed forces to possible civilian casualties of the air strikes reminded him more of the Situation in the Kurdish city of Cizre during the time of the “civil war” in 2015: “at the Time, has shot at this part of the city with artillery. If you do something, die people who are innocent.”
There is an official line, all of the militant groups to wipe out. Who would be in the fight against these groups in the way and death, considered to be victims, to be brought. Some members of the military, so Brakel, would regret, maybe even: “However, the Alternative to such a bombing would be, for example, a laborious house to house fighting. This would increase the risk tremendously, the own soldiers to die. So they don’t do that.”
the Federal government, the EU and NATO remain silent
in addition to the author Tekkal all of the Greens has condemned foreign politician Cem Özdemir, the recent bombing of the Turkish armed forces. Via Tweet Germany’s foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, he called on the Federal government and the EU Commission to sanction the leadership in Ankara.
Also, Kristian Brakel of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung would find it desirable if the air strikes would be clearly condemned. However, the Problem with Turkey is the skin, “the foreign policy in many areas, meanwhile, literally with the wooden hammer on,” that diplomatic Appeals would no longer be sufficient. The EU applies in Ankara as an Institution, although a lot of talk, but little action will be taken: “The Turkish government is of the opinion that it is so important for European security interests, that you can happen in principle, nothing.”
neither the Federal government nor the European Union seem to be the NATO currently have a real answer as to what to do with Turkey in foreign policy conflicts, handle, can also be seen in the number of reactions to the recent air strikes read: two days after the bombings, there was neither Berlin nor Brussels have a clear official response.
author: Daniel Heinrich
*The post “air strikes: Turkish wooden hammer” will be released by Deutsche Welle. Contact with the executives here.
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