Sinjar becomes latest flashpoint for Iran-Turkey tensions in Iraq

Analysis

Week in Review

May 6, 2022

A picture taken on Feb. 20, 2018, shows a convoy of pro-Syrian government fighters arriving in Syria's northern region of Afrin, with a portrait of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan seen on a banner in the background. — GEORGE OURFALIAN/AFP via Getty Images

Clashes between Iraqi security forces and a Yazidi militia known as the Shingal Resistance Units (YBS) may represent one of several new fronts in escalating tensions between Iran and Turkey in Iraq.

Turkey expands anti-PKK operations in Iraq and Syria

Turkey has intensified air, drone and artillery attacks against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets beyond the remote, northern Qandil mountains of Iraq.

The most recent Turkish military operation, called Operation Claw Lock, is the latest phase of a campaign begun in 2019 to purge PKK bases in the region.

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Sinjar becomes latest flashpoint for Iran-Turkey tensions in Iraq

New Pentagon IG report says that the Turkey-PKK conflict and Iranian militias are contributing to instability in Iraq.

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