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Bloomberg
Turkish warplanes struck Kurdish militant positions in Iraq and Syria in an operation meant to disrupt the rebels’ supply lines and prevent them from infiltrating Turkey.
The airstrikes early Tuesday were Turkey’s first in Syria since it ended a land incursion against Kurdish militants and IS there in March. The military said the attacks centered on Mount Sinjar in Iraq and Mount Karakoc in Syria, south of Turkey’s shared borders with both countries.
The decision to hit positions held by the PKK across Turkey’s borders was made after a slew of attacks against military outposts near borders with Iraq and Syria, the military said. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had earlier singled out Mount Sinjar as a possible target, saying “terrorists†were trying to turn the area into a launchpad for attacks against Turkey.
On Sunday, Turkey’s air force commander said the military had “plans†for PKK rebels around Sinjar, vowing not to allow the area to become a new hub for the militant group, Hurriyet newspaper reported.The lira extended losses after news of the air operation and was trading 0.8 percent lower at 3.5991 per dollar at 4:06 p.m. in Istanbul.
The strike on Karacok in Syria was confirmed by YPG, a Kurdish militant group that Turkey says is an extension of the PKK. Turkish jets hit an area where the group’s headquarters are located, killing and wounding an unspecified number of militants, according to a statement carried by Firat news agency.
Turkey has called on the US to end support for Syrian Kurdish groups including YPG, which the American administration sees as a key ally in the fight against IS. PKK is considered a terrorist organization not only by Turkey but also the US and the European Union.