A Turkish sniper and his spotter overlook the mountainous region of the Turkish-Kurdistan border, where the PKK finds refuge in makeshift camps (Credit: Unknown, Getty Images).
The Turkish air force struck several positions inside Iraqi Kurdistan this morning with warplanes, panicking residents of Jamkani village in northern Duhok province. The latest round of airstrikes was the third this year by Turkey inside Kurdistan, where the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) militia has sought refuge since the breakdown of a reconciliation process with the Turkish government in 2015. There was no immediate report of casualties available after the airstrikes, but previous airstrikes have resulted in the death of Kurdish and Yezidi civilians and the destruction of their property.
The PKK has fought an insurgency against the Turkish government spanning almost four decades, in reaction to over a century of abuse and discrimination against the Kurdish people inside Turkey. Turkish President Erdogan initially struck a conciliatory tone with the Kurdish minority of 14 million in Turkey (18% of the national population) after coming to power in 2003. There was a brief lull in the conflict, until Erdogan’s Islamist and imperialist tendencies began to emerge years later. After the suppression of Kurdish politicians and journalists, the armistice broke down, and the PKK renewed their insurgency. Erdogan ordered a military operation inside Kurdish-majority provinces in eastern Turkey, including the siege of the city of Cizre, where martial law was imposed with Turkish tanks and attack helicopters.
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FAI has teams on the ground throughout Kurdistan, partnering with authorities and residents for medical care, education, aid distribution and more.
Since the breakdown of the peace process, many elements of the PKK have retreated into the Kurdish-majority areas inside bordering Syria and Iraq. Erdogan has vowed to pursue the PKK across his border and destroy them on numerous occasions, leading to several illegal military operations in Syria and Iraq, despite the fact that there is no evidence that foreign PKK bases are used as a springboard to launch attacks against the Turkish government. Since the beginning of the latest Turkish air campaign against the PKK in January, 2020, over 77% of armed clashes have occurred in Iraqi Kurdistan, numbering into the hundreds.
News of the airstrikes broke today on the heels of reports from inside Turkey late yesterday, where 18 members of the pro-Kurdish HDP opposition party were arrested in a series of raids. The detainees include 4 female leaders in the Rosa Women’s Association, a women’s advocacy group in Turkey. The latest crackdown underscores a growing political trend in Turkey, where Erdogan’s ruling Islamist AKP party has marginalized its opposition in parliament, including HDP mayors and parliamentarians and journalists, via the weaponization of anti-terrorism laws.
FAI teams are on the ground in Duhok province in Iraqi Kurdistan, providing critical medical care and education services to the local population. We ask our global partners to join us in prayer for a divine hedge of protection around the people of Iraqi Kurdistan in the face of Turkish aggression, and for the restraint of regional powers who continue to exploit, repress and attack the Kurdish people, wherever they live. We pray for feet shod with the Good News of peace in an area plagued by persistent war.
