Istanbul: Turkey’s military yesterday carried out a new wave of air and artillery strikes against Islamic State (IS) jihadists in Syria and Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, putting in jeopardy a fragile ceasefire with Turkish Kurds, in place since 2013.
The two-pronged operation against IS and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) — both bitterly opposed — came after a week of deadly violence in Turkey authorities blamed on them.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said: “No one should doubt our determination. We will not allow Turkey to be turned into a lawless country.” He said he spoke to Massud Barzani, President of the Kurdish-ruled autonomous region in northern Iraq, who expressed “solidarity”. However Barzani’s office said he had “expressed displeasure with the dangerous level the situation has reached”, a statement from Arbil said. The PKK’s military wing, People’s Defence Forces, denounced an “aggression of war” and vowed “resistance”. “The conditions for maintaining the ceasefire... have been eliminated,” it said in a statement. AFP
