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Can Turkey afford new battlefront in Iraq?

Turkey has labeled Operation Euphrates Shield a "success" and put it to bed, leaving observers to wonder about the Turkish military's next ambitions.
A Turkish soldier on an armoured military vehicle surveys the border line between Turkey and Syria, near the southeastern city of Kilis, Turkey, March 2, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTS115IB

Even as he was closing the door on Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria, Turkey's president threw open a window to potential new cross-border operations against anyone he considers terrorists, including — or perhaps especially — the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

"There is no stopping; the road continues. We are making preparations for new operations in other regions for getting to the terrorists on their hills. We will give new names to the new operations," he said, according to a story published April 4 by The New Arab.

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