Turkey’s peace with Kurds splinters as car bomb kills soldiers

By The Guardian

Kurdish rebels blamed for attack on military police vehicle carrying several officers, as PKK says ceasefire has ‘lost all meaning’ after Turkish air strikes

The fragile peace process between the Turkish government and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ party, or PKK, appeared to be on the brink of collapse after two Turkish soldiers were killed and four others were injured in a car bomb attack that Ankara blamed on Kurdish rebels.

The blast came after Turkey launched air strikes against PKK positions in northern Iraq as well as against Islamic State in Syria, in retaliation for a string of violent attacks last week for which Turkey blames both groups – themselves fierce rivals.

Turkey asked Nato on Sunday night to hold an extraordinary council meeting on Tuesday under article four of the treaty, which invokes consultation but does not automatically trigger military action on the part of fellow Nato members. According to a statement by the Turkish foreign ministry, the meeting aims at informing Turkey’s Nato allies about the ongoing operations against Isis in Syria and the PKK in northern Iraq.

Nato officials said that while Turkey may ask for military assistance, the purpose of the meeting is primarily exploratory and to send a political message of support. They said that, while other Nato allies are sympathetic to requests for help against Isis, none are likely to want to become involved with the PKK, which is regarded as an internal problem for Turkey.

Turkey could ask for the creation of a safe buffer zone along its Syrian border in the fight against Isis.

A request for Nato assistance is unlikely to open the way for the UK to begin air strikes against Isis targets in Syria, at least not until after parliament is given an opportunity to vote, which is not likely to happen before the autumn.

US officials expressed their support for Turkey’s air strikes on the PKK, saying they “respected Turkey’s right to defend itself”. In a major policy shift, the Turkish government last week agreed to open its airbases for US-led coalition warplanes after the US had grown increasingly frustrated with Turkey’s reluctance to join the fight against Isis.

While some wondered if US support for Turkey’s raids on the PKK was part of the deal reached after lengthy negotiations, others said it was too early to deduce that the US had dropped the Kurds, a major ally in the fight against Isis, in exchange for Turkey actively joining the anti-Isis coalition.

“In the clash between the Turkish state and the PKK, the Americans have always supported Turkey,” said Mesut Yeğen, a historian of the Kurdish issue. “The real question is what the US would do if Turkey will turn on the PYD,” he added, referring to the Democratic Union party, the Syrian affiliate of the PKK.

The deadly car bomb exploded late on Saturday, when a military police vehicle carrying several officers was travelling to intervene in a traffic blockade close to the predominantly Kurdish town of Lice, according to a statement by the Diyarbakır governorate. The military had launched a wide sweep to capture the bombers, Turkish authorities said. In coordinated raids throughout the province, at least 21 people suspected to have links to the PKK were arrested on Sunday morning.