Turkey’s military will continue acting against PKK militants in regions where they are present until it is “certain” the threat is removed following the Kurdish group’s decision to disband, the defense ministry said Thursday, in a nod to its presence notably in Iraq.
The military will “continue to act in the regions used by the separatist PKK terrorist organization with determination until it is certain the region is cleared and will no longer pose a threat to Turkey,” a ministry spokesman said in a briefing.
He referred specifically to “land search and scan activities, the detection and destruction of caves, shelters, mines and hand-made explosives.”
His remarks came three days after the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced its dissolution and the end of its four-decade insurgency that cost more than 40,000 lives.
According to a ministry source, “nothing has changed” for Turkish troops following the PKK’s announcement.
“Although the terror organization has decided to disband, we need to be careful (about provocations)… by those within the (PKK) who are unhappy with the decision,” the source added.
“If the disbanding is implemented concretely, we will return to our cleaning activities without conducting an operation to prevent these areas from being used by terrorist organizations again,” he said, without elaborating further.
Blacklisted as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, the PKK operates rear bases in Iraq‘s autonomous Kurdistan region, where Turkey also maintains military bases and often carries out air and ground operations against the Kurdish militants.
The PKK is also present in Syria, where Turkey has military bases in the north and has since 2016 carried out several ground operations to force the militants away from its border.
The source said Turkey’s MIT intelligence service would establish a mechanism for “monitoring the disarmament” that would be done in coordination with the security forces in Iraq and Syria.
“It is not possible for the Turkish armed forces to perform this task since it is in other countries,” he said.
“We will provide support if needed, we have bases there. Our presence (in Iraq and Syria) will continue until we are sure of security.”
The source also said there would be no involvement of third parties in the disarmament process.
“There will definitely be no UN or third parties. The problems in our region should be solved by the regional countries,” he said.
The weapons handover will be overseen by Turkish intelligence officials at locations in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, who are expected to register the arms and the identity of the fighters in coordination with the Syrian and Iraqi authorities, Turkish media reports said.
“Our intelligence service will follow the process meticulously to ensure the promises are kept,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.
