Turkey is flexing its military muscle on the northern Iraqi border in a show of force against next week’s planned vote on Kurdish independence.
Tanks and troops have amassed on the frontier, training rocket launchers towards Iraqi Kurdistan. No prior warning was given and it’s unclear how long the military operation will last.
The drill “reflects the scale of concern in Turkey, which has the largest Kurdish population in the region, that the plebiscite could embolden the outlawed Kurdish PKK which has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkey’s southeast,” says Reuters.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Turkish defence minister Nurettin Canikli warned that next Monday’s referendum could lead to regional conflict and vowed Turkey would take “every step” needed to stop a similar movement north of the border.
His comments were echoed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a speech at the UN General Assembly yesterday.
“New crises in the region, such as bids for independence, could spark new conflicts and must therefore be avoided at all costs,” he said. “We urge Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government to abort the steps they have taken in that direction.”
Iraqi Kurdistan has effectively been a semi-autonomous state, with its own president, prime minister and parliament, since the fall of Saddam Hussein more than a decade ago, but many Kurds believe secession from Iraq is the only way to ensure that their rights will be fully protected.
The central government in Baghdad is fiercely opposed to the vote, as is the region’s non-Kurdish population.
Western powers, meanwhile, have voiced concern that the referendum and any ensuing violence will distract Iraqi and Kurdish forces from the ongoing battle against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
But Kurdish authorities remain defiant and show “no sign” of bowing to international demands and halting the vote, says The Guardian.
-
‘This is where adaptation enters’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
4 signs you have too much credit card debtthe explainer Learn to recognize the red flags
-
6 homes with fall foliagefeature An autumnal orange Craftsman, a renovated Greek Revival church and an estate with an orchard
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
Kurdish PKK militia to disband for Turkey talksspeed read The Kurdistan Workers' Party will disarm after four decades of armed conflict with Turkey, putting an end to 'one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East'
