Turkish president Erdogan threatens military action against Syrian Kurds if they take more land from the Islamic State

After Kurdish YPG forces in Syria came under fire recently in the northern border town of Tel Abyad, Turkish President Recep Erdogan warned that more attacks would be coming if the Kurds attempted to make further gains against the Islamic State.

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Unlike the U.S. who considers the Kurds prime allies against the Islamic State in northern Syria and in Iraq as well, Turkey is concerned about the de facto growth of a Kurdish enclave in northern Syria on its border. Turkey's policies are anti-Kurdish and of late have become even more so, as Erdogan attempts to whip up anti-Kurd nationalist sentiments in Turkey in the hope of winning a majority in the elections on Sunday.

While Turkey recently joined the US-led coalition in air strikes against the islamic State, it also at the same time launched strikes against the Kurdish PKK in northern Iraq. The PKK has long fought against the ruling Turkish government. Although Erdogan had earlier agreed to a ceasefire with the PKK, that agreement has been terminated by Turkey's recent bombing activity against Kurds in northern Iraq.

Erdogan's threats against the Kurds for seizing more territory from the Islamic State, threatens relations with both the U.S. and Russia. Erdogan sees airstrikes by both the Russians and the US-led coalition as benefiting the Kurds. As mentioned earlier, Erdogan fears an autonomous Syrian Kurdistan on its borders. He feels this development would feed into secessionist sentiment among Kurds in Turkey. No doubt that sentiment is already growing in any case due to Erdogan's attacks on the Kurdish minority within Turkey.

When units of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) advanced west of the Euphrates recently into Islamic State held territory, they were twice attacked by Turkish jets. The Kurds had been warned by Turkey that they should not advance west of the Euphrates. Erdogan said: "This was a warning. 'Pull yourself together. If you try to do this elsewhere - Turkey doesn't need permission from anyone - we will do what is necessary.'" The local leadership council recently declared that the town was part of a system of self-governing cantons set up and run by the Kurds. Erdogan accused the US of supporting terrorism through its aid to the Kurds: "The PYD is committing ethnic cleansing here (of) Arabs and Turkmen. If the Kurds withdraw and don't form a canton, there's no problem. But if the mindset continues, then what is necessary will be done or we face serious problems. We are determined to (combat) anything that threatens us along the Syrian border, inside or out."

The Kurdish enclave in Syria is called Rojava or Western Kurdistan and is divided into several cantons. The PYD or Democratic Union Party has links to the Kurdistan Worker's Party(PKK) that many countries, including the U.S., consider a terrorist organization but many other countries do not classify it as such including Egypt, China, and Russia. The U.S. and many other countries do not consider the PYD a terrorist group. Erdogan lashed out at the US saying: "They don't even accept the PYD as a terrorist organization. What kind of nonsense is this?The West still has the mentality of 'My terrorist is good, yours is bad.'"That mentality seems common to almost every country. Turkey is after all complaining that the Kurds are seizing territory from the Islamic State. If any group deserve to be called terrorists it is surely them. Erdogan claims that 1,400 PKK militants are fighting in Syria alongside the YPG.

Erdogan seems bound and determined to exacerbate relations with the Kurds in the hope that this will gain him a majority in the upcoming elections on Sunday. He is also clamping down on other opposition forces in Turkey including media outlets critical of him and his regime. If Erdogan gains a majority, he is sure to increase his powers and clamp down even more on opponents a move certain to create even more conflict with the Kurds both within and outside of Turkey.

Turkey escalating conflict with Kurds threatening civil war

Less than a week after the Turkish parliament authorised its military to carry out ground operations in Syria and Iraq, the Turkish military is carrying out operations against the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) in the mountains of northern Iraq.

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At the time the motion was passed last week, the government emphasized the move was part of the war against the Islamic State. The pro-Kurdish opposition (HDP) in the parliament objected to the move — it thought it would be used to attack the PKK rather than the Islamic State. The motion also authorizes continued air strikes which are also being used against the PKK as well as the Islamic State.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by some including the U.S. and Turkey but not China, Russia, or even Egypt. There is a long history of conflict with Turkey described in some detail here. In 2013 the PKK declared a ceasefire with Turkey and began withdrawing fighters within Turkey into northern Iraq. The PKK have been active in fighting against the Islamic State. They were instrumental in helping "tens of thousands" of Yazidis escape when they were encircled by the Islamic State on Mt. Sinjar. The ceasefire was often violated with Turkey bombing Kurd positions in 2014 but any hope of the ceasefire holding was ended when along with its first air attacks against the Islamic State, Turkey launched a series of bombing raids against PKK positions in Iraq.

The bombings have set off a series of attacks blamed on the PKK within Turkey. 16 soldiers were killed in one day and another 14 police officers the next day. Many critics of Erdogan suggest that he is using the renewed clashes as a means to improve his chances of achieving a majority in an upcoming election. The incursion of Turkish ground forces into northern Iraq is the first such move since the ceasefire in 2013. While government officials claim it is a "short term measure" to hunt down the PKK fighters in the region, it is a clear escalation of the conflict. The ground operation was accompanied by renewed air attacks on PKK positions in the area as well.

Turkish president Recep Erdogan claims the PKK had suffered "serious damage" both inside and outside Turkey and was in a "state of panic." Even more seriously damaged is the security of Turkey and any hope of an end to internal conflict. The conflict has lasted three decades and with the new Erdogan policy appears headed into another decade. The Turkish government is pledging to escalate the campaign against the PKK as elections approach on November 1st. As an Al Jazeera article puts it: "As the armed conflict deepens in Turkey, political leaders are burning political bridges needed to end the violence." The pro-Kurdish HDP party headquarters have been attacked. This party helped deprive Erdogan's AKP party of its majority last June.

The Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is a strong supporter of renewed military action vowing to "wipe out" rebel strongholds. Erdogan said that Turkey will get over the plague of terror. The government intends to deploy 5,000 police and military personnel to 20 of Turkey's most restive pro-PKK towns and cities, a recipe for more clashes. Since the renewed hostilities in June, pro-PKK youth groups have tried to control city centers, by setting up armed checkpoints and even digging trenches to combat Turkish police. This movement has been accompanied by 15 different districts declaring "autonomy." Turkish police have attempted to regain control by entering blockaded areas with armed convoys. In effect Erdogan has managed to provoke a civil war within certain parts of Turkey while rallying right-wing nationalist groups to support his crackdown.

Talks with the jailed PKK leader Ocalan have been frozen and this time he has not issued a call for another cease fire. The co-chair of the pro-Kurd People's Democratic Party(HDP), Selahattin Demirtas, has called for the PKK to immediately end hostilities. The PKK leadership refused. A pro-government Turkish daily had a photo of Demirtas with "killer" in capitals beneath it. Erdogan already has asked parliament to strip some members of the HDP of their parliamentary immunity and try them on terrorism charges. Erdogan not only is burning bridges and thus blocking a political solution to the Kurdish issue but he is also building bridges towards a quasi-fascist militaristic Turkey that will create even more instability in the middle east.