Turkey’s ruling party, its far-right ally and the main opposition party have been engaged in a war of words and accusations following the recent killing of 12 soldiers by an outlawed Kurdish group in northern Iraq, leading tensions to escalate in the Turkish political arena.
The defense ministry announced on Saturday the killing of 12 soldiers in two separate attacks on its bases in northern Iraq by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group designated by Turkey and much of the international community as a terrorist organization.
The soldiers were part of Operation Claw-Lock, an air and ground offensive launched in April 2022 that targets hideouts of the PKK in the Metina region of Iraq.
Following the incident, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called for retaliation against “terrorists” in northern Iraq and Syria, with the Turkish military launching a new wave of airstrikes on the Kurdish-held parts of these two countries.
Joint declaration
Four parties in the Turkish parliament — the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP); its far-right ally, the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP); the nationalist İYİ (Good) Party; and the Felicity Party (SP) — signed a joint declaration in which they condemned the PKK attack and expressed determination in fighting against the militant group.
The main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), however, refused to sign the declaration, calling on parliament to hold a closed-door session to discuss the safety of soldiers in northern Iraq, to determine if there was any negligence on the part of the Turkish authorities in failing to prevent the attack and demanding a briefing from the defense minister about how the attack took place.
The CHP said signing a joint declaration would be a “betrayal” to the memory of the fallen soldiers without these questions being answered.
Video footage circulating on social media showed the poor weather at Turkish military bases in northern Iraq, with many accusing the government of sending the soldiers to their deaths and not taking the necessary measures for their safety.
The CHP’s refusal to sign the joint declaration has brought it intense criticism from the AKP and the MHP.
Erdoğan, who spoke at a ceremony in Ankara on Monday, accused the CHP of acting as an extension of the PKK, praising and legitimizing terrorism.
“Those speaking the same language as terrorists will be treated the same way as terrorists,” he said.
Erdoğan frequently accuses the CHP and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) of supporting PKK terrorism. DEM also did not sign the joint statement, saying that the reason for the deaths of the soldiers is the continued lack of a solution to Turkey’s Kurdish issue and Turkey’s efforts to resolve this problem only through military means.
The Kurdish issue, a term prevalent in Turkey’s public discourse, refers to the demand for equal rights by the country’s Kurdish population and their struggle for recognition.
Erdoğan ally MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli also slammed the CHP and its leader, Özgür Özel, during a party meeting on Tuesday, accusing them of being the political extension of DEM and of being as much of a “threat to national security” as DEM.
He said Özel will not even be able to walk down the street if he does not “come to his senses.”
Protest at funeral
Özel, who attended the funeral of Enis Budak, one of the slain soldiers, in his hometown of Manisa on Sunday, faced protests from other attendees who booed him and asked him to leave.
The CHP leader had to depart the ceremony in the Manisa governor’s official car.
Özel responded to Bahçeli’s accusations during a party meeting on Tuesday and said without the government’s giving an account of what happened to the soldiers, his party wouldn’t sign any declaration.
“Operation Claw-Lock has been going on for 20 months. What is its goal? Has it achieved it? If so, why are our soldiers still there? If not, why not?” Özel said as he accused Bahçeli of doing politics over the deaths of the soldiers.
The attack on the soldiers came as Turkey heads towards local elections on March 31.
In the run-up to elections, the AKP frequently accuses the CHP and the pro-Kurdish parties of supporting terrorism, which many say is aimed at wooing nationalist voters.
