Turkey 'strikes back' at home, abroad following soldier casualties in Iraq

Turkey announced that its air force had "neutralized" 26 Kurdish militants through airstrikes in Syria and northern Iraq as a response to the killing of soldiers over the weekend. Additionally, Turkish authorities detained numerous pro-Kurdish DEM Party members and launched an investigation against a party congress.

Monday December 25 2023 02:31 pm

Reuters

Turkey said on Dec. 25 its air force "neutralized" 26 Kurdish militants in strikes in Syria and northern Iraq in response to the killing of soldiers at the weekend, while authorities also detained dozens of pro-Kurdish opposition activists.

On Dec. 24, the Defense Ministry stated 12 Turkish soldiers were killed during fighting with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, prompting Ankara to conduct a barrage of air strikes and operations in the region.

The ministry said initial findings showed that at least 26 militants were "neutralized" in those strikes. Ankara typically uses the term to mean killed.

Defense Minister Yaşar Güler also said on Dec. 24 that 30 PKK militants had been neutralized in an area of northern Iraq where Turkey carries out cross-border operations, bringing the total number of militants killed since the weekend to 56.

The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. Turkish forces regularly carry out strikes in neighboring Iraq as part of its offensive against PKK militants based there.

Police also detained 52 people at a youth event organized by the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) -formerly known as HDP - in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır.

Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said on social media platform X that the suspects were charged with "praising crime and the criminal" and "spreading terrorist organization propaganda", and added arrest warrants were issued for others.

24.12.2023 günü DEM Parti tarafından “Gençlik Meclisi 1. Olağan Kongresi" adı altında Diyarbakır’da organize edilen toplantı ile ilgili olarak “suç ve suçluyu övme”, “terör örgütü propagandası yapma” suçlarına yönelik Diyarbakır Cumhuriyet Başsavcılığınca şüpheliler hakkında…
— Yılmaz TUNÇ (@yilmaztunc) December 24, 2023

In response, DEM - the third biggest party in parliament - condemned the detentions as motivated by political interests and called for the detainees to be released immediately.

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya later said that authorities had started investigations into 57 social media accounts accused of posting content against Turkey's armed forces, and added four people had been detained as part of the operation.

"Those trying to sow seeds of discord among our people, praise terror, and insult our national and moral values will continue to be held accountable in front of the law," Yerlikaya said on X.

GEREĞİ YAPILDI -2❗️
İstanbul Emniyet Müdürlüğümüzce Bakırköy Özgürlük Meydanı’nda dijital platformlarda yayınlanmak üzere çekim yapan, Ordumuz ve Askerlerimiz aleyhinde söylemlerde bulunarak hakaret eden B.T., S.Y.G., N.K. ve F.G. isimli şüpheliler yakalandı ve adli makamlara… pic.twitter.com/VkG82VBXWc
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) December 25, 2023

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government have repeatedly accused the pro-Kurdish opposition party of having links to the PKK, and authorities have arrested dozens of its officials over recent years. The party denies accusations of militant links.