Fury and row in Ankara after PKK killed 12 soldiers in Iraq

The number of soldiers who were killed in the PKK attack on the Turkish Armed Forces base in the Khakurk region of Iraq on December 22 has risen to 12, according to the statements released by the Turkish Ministry of National Defence (MSB) as of December 24. The ministry released two statements on December 22 and 23, announcing the martyrdom of soldiers and adding that more than 10 soldiers were also injured.

Yaşar Güler, Minister of National Defence, said that 30 PKK militants had been killed as of midnight, and 29 PKK targets had been destroyed in the ground and air operations launched immediately after the attack. In the early hours of December 24, Güler and the Turkish Armed Forces command delegation went to Şırnak province, sharing borders both with Iraq and Syria, to direct the ongoing anti-terrorist operation in Iraqi and Syrian territory.

The PKK’s onslaught in Iraq is recorded as the greatest number of casualties in recent years, following the killing of 36 Turkish soldiers in Idlib, Syria, on February 21, 2020, and the killing of 13 soldiers in Gara, Iraq, on February 13, 2021.

Details of the attack

Meanwhile, the details of the PKK attack began to emerge.

According to NTV, the attack started when terrorists infiltrated the forward operation base at the Hakkari Mountain and Commando Brigade in Iraqi territory. As heavy blizzards and fog reduced visibility to less than one metre, PKK militants attacked the base with rocket launchers, grenades, and long-barreled weapons. After the first commando team was attacked and fell, the second team came to the aid of the first commando team and struck the first blow against the PKK militants, who were on their escape route from the attack zone.

The fact that the attack was carried out when visibility was below one metre suggests that the PKK militants who carried out the terrorist attack had night vision devices.

The MSB announced that the operation on PKK/KCK targets in Iraq and Syria is carried out within the framework of the right to self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

Martyr funerals and national mourning

The news of the fallen soldiers in Khakurk caused a nationwide reaction and grief.

The bodies of six of the 12 soldiers who fell in the December 22 attack were sent to their hometowns to be buried in a ceremony attended by Güler and the top brass in Şırnak.

Opposition spokespersons called on the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) government to declare three days of national mourning.

Ankara Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Mansur Yavaş has made billboards around the city of Ankara to be lit with the message “Martyrs do not die; the homeland is indivisible.”

Parliamentary dispute over the national mourning

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on his X account that Türkiye “will not give up on its strategy of fighting terrorism at its source.”
He added that they “will not allow a terrorist organisation in the north of Iraq and Syria” and will continue to fight against “hired killers who are subcontractors of imperialists.”

The four political parties in the Turkish Grand National Assembly: AKP, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), IYI Party, and Felicity Party (Saadet Partisi), strongly condemned the terrorist attack in a joint statement and emphasised the “uncompromising fight against all terrorist organisations.”.

The social democratic Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Kurdish-problem-focused DEM Party did not sign the joint statement.

Meral Danış Beştaş, Deputy Chairperson of the DEM Parliamentary Group, said: “The problem is not the signature; it is to be compelling for a solution. The pain is great for us too. The young people who died are the children of all of us.”

The CHP Group called on the government to immediately organise a private session in parliament and for Minister Güler to inform Parliament about the 12 martyrs in the terrorist attack. Leader Özgür Özel said on his X account that they will not sign any joint statement with the AKP without this information. Özel said that even though the government has not declared national mourning, “the nation has declared its mourning.”.

Özel: Are there soldiers being held captive?

AKP spokesperson Ömer Çelik condemned the CHP’s refusal to sign the Turkish Grand National Assembly declaration as “shameful.” Çelik said that the CHP leadership’s stance was a “continuation of the drift on the issue of the parliamentary motions, which are essential for Türkiye’s national security,” as the CHP had voted against the motion by the AKP to send troops to Syria and Iraq on October 17.

CHP leader Özel was protested by a group at the funeral of Enis Budak, one of the fallen soldiers, in his constituency, Manisa. A relative of the martyr tried to silence the protesters by saying, “Let us live our pain.” In response to the reactions, Özel addressed Çelik and said, “What surprised you is that we, as the opposition, have not easily lined up behind you.” Stressing that “signing a declaration does not bring back martyrs,” Özel said the following:

“Operation Claw-Lock (including Turkish border regions of Iraqi territory) has been going on for 20 months. What was their goal, and has it been achieved? If so, why are we there? If not, what are the reasons? How many of our soldiers are in the Claw-Lock operation zone? Are there any martyrs other than the martyrs announced in the Claw-Lock operation region, or are some of our martyrs in the hands of the terrorist organisation, or are a group of our soldiers who we do not know whether they are alive or not in the hands of the terrorist organization? We want him (MSB Güler) to answer these questions. And we want to ask him about the discussions to prevent new martyrs. It is said that there are logistical disadvantages and that sometimes we cannot even deliver food to the soldiers. It is not a crime, not a mistake, but our right to demand answers to these questions.”

The timing of the attack

Three days prior to the attack that killed 12 soldiers, an Iraqi delegation in Ankara that included military and intelligence representatives held discussions with a Turkish delegation under the leadership of Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

In a joint statement issued after the talks, it was announced that “the threats posed by the PKK” to the security of the two countries were also discussed.

The day before the attack, on December 21, the Türkiye-US High-Level Defence Group met in Washington to discuss the sale of F-16s to Türkiye. Earlier on December 22, the day of the attack, it was announced that the Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee had scheduled to discuss Sweden’s NATO admission protocol for Tuesday, December 26.

Erdogan’s People’s Alliance partner, MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli, is opposed to ratification until Sweden fulfils the conditions for fighting against terrorism.

On December 18, amid the controversy surrounding the purchase of Eurofighter jets in place of F-16s, President Tayyip Erdoğan announced that US President Joe Biden had told him on December 14, “You approve Sweden, and I will pass the F-16s through Congress.” There was a call by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan on December 17 about the same issue.

The PKK had launched a suicide attack on the Interior Ministry in Ankara on the opening day of the Parliament, which delayed Erdoğan’s signing of Sweden’s NATO protocol and conveying it to parliamentary approval.

Turkish military operations following the attack are reportedly continuing.