Turkey’s risky war is ISIL’s gain

Violence between Ankara and the Kurds plays directly into the hands of extremists

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a news conference in Ankara, The escalating violence between Ankara and the Kurds plays directly into ISIL’s hands. Umit Bektas / Reuters
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Turkey is on the edge of falling into a dangerous new chapter in its war with the Kurds. Thirty Turkish soldiers and police officers have been killed over the past week in two separate attacks carried out by militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The attacks came in response to Ankara's renewed military operations against the PKK inside Turkey and in northern Iraq.

It is far from instructive to place all the blame for the recent violence in the decades-old conflict on one side or another. Yet, according to Turkish opposition parties and many Turkish liberals, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a fair share of responsibility. He is said to have provoked conflict with the Kurds to stoke nationalist sentiment after his AKP party was unable to secure a clear majority in recent parliamentary elections.

Snap elections will take place on November 1. They will decide whether Mr Erdogan’s AKP can win back an absolute majority in the parliament or whether the pro-Kurdish HDP can hold on to the surprisingly strong 13 per cent of votes mustered in the last round. The spike in nationalist violence, which has seen HDP offices in Ankara burnt and threats against the party’s leadership, could derail the elections.

If we look beyond domestic Turkish concerns, Ankara’s insistence on forcefully renewing its fight with the PKK is already having a negative effect on the battle against ISIL. Kurdish fighters, who have proven themselves to the world as a critical front line force, have been forced to turn their attention to the battle with Turkey. Internal divisions over how to handle the Turkish army have started to bubble up. ISIL stands to benefit the most from the infighting.

At this point in the anti-ISIL campaign, the international community desperately needs the Kurds to maintain their presence on the front lines. Given the gravity of Turkey’s desires to be a superpower in the region, Ankara must step back from the edge of violent conflict with the PKK and realise that its actions are helping a much greater and stronger enemy, ISIL.