Erdogan announces start of military operation in Shingal, Baghdad vows to retaliate

In response to Erdogan's claims, the Iraqi Defense Ministry stressed that Baghdad would not remain silent about any foreign military intervention on its soil.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday announced the launch of military operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Sinjar (Shingal).

Speaking to his supporters in Trabzon, Erdogan said the military offensive against the PKK has begun in Shingal, the state-owned Anadolu Agency reported.

“We will enter Shingal; military operations have started there,” Erdogan said.

The Turkish President vowed “to fight terrorists inside and outside Turkey,” claiming that “Turkey is not an occupying state and their biggest concern is fighting terrorists.”

In a separate statement, the Iraqi Defense Ministry responded to Erdogan’s claim and said they were not aware of any Turkish military operation in Shingal.

The Defense Ministry stressed that the Iraqi government would not remain silent about any foreign military intervention on its soil.

In a statement released on Friday, the PKK announced their withdrawal from the Kurdish-Ezidi city, claiming the area is now free of security threats.

“The Ezidis established a relationship with the Iraqi government after [the Islamic State (IS)] was completely expelled from the surroundings of [Shingal], and they started efforts to resolve their problems through dialogue,” the PKK statement read.

“The Iraqi government also showed sensitivity toward answering the demands of Ezidis,” it continued.

Turkey has repeatedly warned that it would launch a military operation against the Kurdish rebel group on the Kurdistan Region’s border as well as the Shingal area.

The PKK established a foothold there after leaving its mountain bases on the Iraq-Iran border to back the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces and Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) during the battle against IS.

Its presence there also led to intra-Kurdish tensions, with the Kurdistan Region demanding the PKK’s withdrawal from Shingal after its liberation from the extremist group.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany