DIYARBAKIR, Turkey — Just when it seemed Turkey was getting serious about the fight against the Islamic State, it has turned its military focus to pounding its old foe: Kurdish rebels.
In Turkey’s Kurdish heartland, the government’s renewed military onslaught against the rebels has left many people crying treachery — with suspicions rife that Turkey used a brief offensive against the Islamic State as a cover to launch a broad attack against the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. Many Kurds also are venting frustration against the United States, accusing Washington of turning a blind eye to Turkish attacks on the Kurds in exchange for logistical support against the Islamic State.
“We are used to this. Kurds have witnessed betrayal for centuries,” said Axin Bro, a musician. “National powers use us for their own ends.”
The U.S. had welcomed Turkey’s air assault last week against the Islamic State, along with its decision to open air bases for American sorties, as a sign that Turkey had dropped its reluctance to fight the extremist group. Since then, Turkish jets taking off from this city in Kurdish-dominated lands have been hitting PKK targets in northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey, as the militant group has targeted the military and police in Turkey.
Turkish jets again pounded PKK targets in northern Iraq in a 2½-hour operation Thursday, a government official said. He said the latest airstrikes were in retaliation for an attack on troops stationed near the border with Iraq earlier in the day that killed three soldiers. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules requiring prior authorization to speak to journalists.
The U.S. has said Turkey has a right to defend itself against the PKK, which Washington and Turkey consider a terrorist group. The PKK is affiliated with, but separate from, Syrian Kurdish fighters allied with the United States in its fight against the Islamic State. Turkish officials say the Syrian Kurdish group is not a target of Turkey’s operations.
Of the 1,300 people the government rounded up in a nationwide anti-terror sweep, the overwhelming number have been Kurdish. That may reflect the PKK’s greater presence in Turkish society, but Kurdish politicians charge that the government’s objective is to curb the rising political power of the Kurds.
The mayor of Diyarbakir said distrust is growing toward the government and the United States.
“People here see that there have been several weak operations against the Islamic State while there have been repeated operations against Kurds both politically and militarily,” Gultan Kisanak said. She said many constituents are asking whether there was a deal between Turkey and the U.S. — for the U.S. to look the other way on Kurdish operations in exchange for access to Turkish air bases. The White House has denied such claims.
The Turkish government has cast the simultaneous moves against the Islamic State and the PKK, as well as the arrest of members of a leftist group, as decisive steps to protect the public and Turkish democracy.
