On March 18, 2024, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced plans for Turkey to take control of security along its border with Iraq this summer and to complete its unfinished work in Syria. This statement has raised concerns about a potential invasion of Iraq and the continuation of military operations in Syria. Additionally, there were reports of a possible invasion of Lebanon by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the summer. The announcement comes amid discussions on the Turkish presence in Iraq, viewed by Faylaq al-Wa'ad al-Sadiq as an occupation, and the Iraqi government's ban on the PKK, which is seen as a major concession to Turkey. The ban is expected to influence negotiations on oil transit, trade, and water rights between Turkey and Iraq. Meanwhile, the PKK's activities in northern Iraq continue to provoke tensions, as evidenced by the recent killing of a Turkish soldier.
PKK kills Turkish soldier in northern Iraq as Ankara threatens major offensive, @AmberinZaman reports https://t.co/3CetxgvzgT
Türkiye’s military is set to carry out operations to achieve full security along the country’s borders – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan https://t.co/I6dyqWBjDy https://t.co/mRsv3fdx1k
NEW: #Iraq's ban on PKK is a major concession to #Turkey. Expectation is Turkish flexibility on oil transit, trade & water. But gambit can go very wrong. How will Turkey approach PUK ahead? What will PMU-YBS dynamics be in northern Iraq? And Iran? https://t.co/7dkcFdWPmK
Why did #Iraq ban #PKK? “If we consider all the reasons as a 100-unit cake, the Development Road project alone makes some 40% of it,” @BilgayDuman of @orsamorgtr says By @ezgi_akin https://t.co/SonNTyfzFw
. @Mohammed_Tm313 of Faylaq al-Wa'ad al-Sadiq on the Turkish presence in Iraq as an occupation that should be removed. He also asks the Iraqi government how Iraq's water rights will be guaranteed if the PKK is removed from Iraq (Arabic original & English). https://t.co/0rgD8udQo4
🇹🇷 🇮🇶 Erdogan is preparing to invade Iraq Turkey will “take control” of security on the border with Iraq in the summer and “complete the unfinished work in Syria,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. The Hürriyet newspaper reported on March 7 that the Turkish armed forces… https://t.co/o6axe0PO50
President of Turkey Erdogan stated: "This summer, we will take full control over the security of our Iraqi borders and complete our unfinished work in Syria."
Erdogan: Turkey will take control of security on the border with Iraq in the summer and complete the unfinished work in Syria. There were also report of possible invasion of Lebanon by IDF in summer