Features of the Turkish policy in Iraq and Syria began to take on important strategic dimensions that represent the future and field vision of the nature of the Turkish deal with the regional issues in the Arab region and the Middle East. The Turkish military and security institutions have become more distant in delivering its messages to its allies and enemies in the region to serve its interests and the future of its national security and to explain ways, means and methods of achieving its objectives in the field and hat it seeks of the tactical and strategic objectives .
The events in Syria took on new dimensions, especially after the Turkish intervention which led to the control of the Turkish military forces on the area (Afrin) in cooperation with the fighters of the Syrian Free Army and the area was controlled after the ongoing clashes with elements and fighters of the Kurdish units and other names of it , a policy followed by the Turkish government in its dealings with the Syrian event to serve its interests after it was confirmed of the reality of the American project, which seeks to find a field area for the presence of Kurdish forces and parties cooperating with the United States of America and receive military and financial support from it specifically ( Syrian Democratic Forces ) , Which began to advance rapidly and take strategic places and locations in the north of Syria in an attempt to achieve its objectives in finding a Kurdish region of Syria similar to the Kurdistan region of Iraq near the Turkish-Syrian border, which is contrary to the Turkish policy in the region and threatens its interests and field vision in preserving its national security and its confrontation with the Kurdish forces and parties that are taken from the Syrian territory as a base for them to carry out military attacks against the Turkish security forces in southeastern Turkey and within the main cities, namely the (Turkish Workers Party and other names ).
This was reflected clearly on the Iraqi political scene and after the announcement of the Iraqi government that it has managed to confront terrorism inside Iraq and the expulsion of fighters of ISIS and its leaders from the centers of the provinces and cities, which were controlled by ISIS over the past three years and returned to the control and influence of the Iraqi military and security forces.
The Turkish response came to complete the military operations of the Turkish forces inside Iraq and to follow up the movement of the Labor Party elements (PKK) and its presence in Sinjar district, north of Nineveh province, which became a safe haven for the headquarters of the Workers Party and its fighters, which exploited the circumstances surrounding this strategic area during the battles that took place with terrorism, Iraqi forces and fighters of Kurdish forces of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Iraq.
Turkish Workers’ Party (PKK) elements began to complete its objectives in the field control of the Sinjar district and the surrounding villages after the withdrawal of the Kurdish military forces from the Kurdistan region of Iraq after the events that took place after the control of the province of Kirkuk on October 16, 2017 and in cooperation with the Yazidi crowd which belongs to the leaders of popular crowd and linled directly to the leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis , and these developments have been the focus of the Turkish security and intelligence services, and they view them as a direct threat to its security policy in the region and believe that they have become a strategic depth for the Turkish Kurdish forces that are hostile to Turkish politics, to deal with its presence in the Sinjar district, which undermines the Turkish security situation on the border and work on the implementation of military operations inside the Turkish territory threatens the security and safety of Turkish institutions in all its types after these Turkish Kurdish forces had worked, specifically (Turkish Workers Party) to find training and combat camps for its elements in Around Sinjar district.
From here, the features of Turkish politics in northern Iraq have been defined by the following objectives:
1.The continuation of the Turkish approach in following up the movement of the Turkish Workers’ Party and their presence, confronting them and causing them losses and preventing them from carrying out operations aimed at destabilizing Turkish national security.
2. Seeking to find a realistic policy in the Middle East, specifically in Iraq and Syria that the Turkish administration will have a field role in the political and military conflict existing in these two countries to serve its interests and objectives.
3. Building a joint security system from all the regional and western countries, whose system is defined by common goal of these countries and those responsible for the nature of the current conflict in Syria and near the Syrian-Turkish-Iraqi border.
4. To send clear political messages to the Iraqi government by working to get the Turkish Workers Party out of Iraqi territory and to follow the necessary means to achieve this goal. Otherwise, the Turkish government is pursuing its policy of pursuing the PKK fighters while they are inside Iraq and carrying out military operations against them.
5. Determine the common border between Syria and Turkey and its extension to Iraq and consider it a buffer zone in the hands of the Turkish forces to prevent elements of the Workers Party from carrying out attacks and combat activities that threaten the security and safety of Turkish territory and the procedures of the Turkish security and intelligence services.
6. The Turkish authorities are trying to extend their military and security influence in several areas, which they constitute a state of tension with regard to their policy in northern Iraq, and are therefore seeking to know the truth of the Iraqi response and the seriousness of the Iraqi government in dealing with the Labor Party.
Iraqi Studies Unit
Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies