Hundreds of Casualties in a Few Weeks — What Lies Behind Turkiye's Successes Against the PKK in Syria?

Through a series of recent precision strikes, Turkiye continues to dismantle elements and leaders of the Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) branches in the regions it operates within the northeastern parts of Syria.

These escalating pinpoint attacks have resulted in a number of casualties and injuries among the PKK branches in recent times.

Ankara's strikes are part of its tactical objectives to deplete the human resources under the command of the PKK in Syria. These resources serve as a direct link to the top leadership located in the Qandil Mountains of Iraq.

Ankara, Washington, and several European capitals classify the PKK as a terrorist organization due to its armed attacks on Turkish soil over the past decades.

The PKK is also recognized as the ideological source for various Kurdish armed groups in Syria and Iraq, which aspire to secession and the establishment of the Greater Kurdistan state.

 

Exhausting the PKK

Turkiye's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) neutralized a senior PKK terrorist in northern Syria, security sources said on Saturday, August 19, 2023.

Turkish intelligence announced the same day the killing of PKK's leader Hicran Icuz, code-named Vejin Jiyan, in an operation in al-Hasakah province, according to sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Turkish authorities use the term "neutralize" to imply the terrorists in question surrendered or were killed or captured.

According to security sources cited by Anadolu Agency, the leader joined the PKK in 2016 and played a role in training Syrian youths and minors who had joined the organization.

She was responsible for the organization's armed female units and was involved in planning attacks on Turkish security forces, especially in border areas.

Additionally, on August 18, 2023, a Turkish drone targeted a military site of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is the backbone of the Syrian Kurdish YPG, the Syrian branch of the PKK, in the village of al-Tawila in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah. This attack resulted in the death of two militants.

According to a report by the Turkish Ministry of Defense released on August 12, 2023, Turkish forces managed to neutralize 21 PKK militants in Syria and Iraq within two days.

On July 28, 2023, the Turkish intelligence agency announced the elimination of the PKK's leader, Masoud Jalal Osman, a prominent figure in the Sinjar region of Iraq.

The Turkish Minister of Interior, Ali Yerlikaya, affirmed in an interview with a Turkish news channel on July 26, 2023, that his country's forces have neutralized 119 PKK terrorists in the past two months, asserting that the organization is on the verge of total collapse.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense reported that over 800 PKK militants were killed in Syria and Iraq in the first half of 2023.

Since May 2022, Turkiye has been preparing for a comprehensive military operation against the PKK branches in various areas of northern Syria. The objective is to expand the safe zone and distance these branches from the Syrian opposition areas, ultimately aiming to bring more stability to these regions.

Turkiye has intensified its drone strikes targeting PKK elements and leaders in Syria as part of this effort.

 

Perpetual Combating Efforts

These strikes underscore the Turkish National Intelligence Agency's (MIT) capacity to counter terrorist organizations by gathering intelligence on the ground and leveraging technological opportunities to neutralize them.

Turkish media outlets emphasize that intelligence and security units are diligently developing innovative combat techniques against evolving terrorist organizations that consistently alter their methods of operation.

Yet, the common thread among most names targeted by Turkish drones is their affiliation with mid-to-high-level connections between the PKK's main headquarters in the Qandil Mountains and their leaders in Syria.

These leaders, as Turkish media reports suggest, underwent training within the Kurdistan Workers' Party for at least a decade, with some having served for over 20 years before assuming their military roles.

Consequently, the significance of these lethal strikes against PKK leaders lies in the difficulty of promptly replacing them with fighters trained to the same level.

Turkish airstrikes on PKK leader vehicles often occur outside urban areas, particularly in open terrains.

This strategic choice creates a kind of disruption in their mobility, increasing their risk and discomfort.

In this context, Turkish political analyst Hisham Junay asserts that Turkiye's security policy centers on combating the PKK. He notes that at times, internal Turkish circumstances may temporarily postpone military actions against this organization's branches in Syria. However, this doesn't imply Ankara's lack of effort in countering the PKK.

At present, Turkiye's intensification of targeting PKK elements and leaders in Syria through aerial bombardment is part of an ongoing combat strategy, yielding favorable results for Turkiye due to its superior weaponry in comparison to the PKK, according to Junay.

Addressing the current US silence regarding the continuous targeting of PKK elements and leaders by Turkish airstrikes, Junay links this to "mutual interests."

For instance, Turkiye's agreement with Finland and Sweden joining NATO, along with Washington's interest in Turkiye's stance on Russia regarding the Ukrainian invasion, elucidates Junay.

Therefore, the interpretation of the American silence can be attributed to meeting Turkiye's demands concerning its military actions on its southern borders with Syria, including operations against PKK branches, he concluded.

 

Exploiting this Step

In statements to Independent Turkce on August 15, 2023, Ranc Nevzad, a researcher in political and international relations, said that "the changes in Ankara and Tehran's policies towards reconciliation and rapprochement with the Arab circle have an impact on the Kurdish issue."

Nevzad states, "This situation will inevitably lead to a decline in Arab support for the Kurdish cause in Syria or the non-use of the Kurds as a card against Turkiye and Iran. Consequently, these two countries will intensify their attacks targeting the Kurds.

"It's known that these countries are in competition, but they also avoid direct conflict due to their common interests, including the Kurdish issue. Turkiye heavily relies on Iranian gas, and the two parties can find a common interest in their disputes. There seems to be a secret agreement on this between Ankara and Tehran."

Nevertheless, the nearly constant movement of Turkish drones in areas under the control of PKK branches in Syria underscores Turkiye's commitment to addressing the security concerns arising from these areas, which can have implications for Turkiye's national security.

Turkish investigations have often revealed coordination between those responsible for bombings within Turkiye and the military facilities belonging to the PKK on the outskirts of Aleppo and al-Hasakah.

On November 14, 2022, the Turkish General Directorate of Security in Istanbul announced that the perpetrator of the Independence Street bombing in Istanbul confessed during the investigation to her affiliation with the PKK and receiving instructions for the operation from the organization's headquarters in the city of Ayn al-Arab, north of Aleppo.

In the face of this, the remarkable success of Turkiye's highly advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in curtailing the activities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) with their precision and strategic combat strategies in Syria is evident.

Especially considering the Turks have endured numerous PKK attacks over the past decades, drones have fundamentally altered this current equation, thanks to their technological prowess. The Turks leverage these attacks to showcase and bolster their military capabilities.

Consequently, the military drones have become the backbone of Turkiye's air force for pursuing PKK strongholds beyond the nation's borders, owing to their elevated technological capabilities.

The Turkish drone Bayraktar TB2, manufactured by Turkiye's defense industries company Baykar, stands as Turkiye's most internationally renowned asset, leaving a distinct imprint in numerous defensive operations, including those conducted in Syria.

Bayraktar TB2 is classified among tactical military aircraft, adept at both surveillance and assault missions. It can ascend to altitudes of 20,000 to 27,000 feet (approximately 8,000 meters), carry equipment weighing up to 150 kilograms, and remain airborne for up to 25 continuous hours.

It also excels in performing immediate reconnaissance and destruction tasks both during nighttime and daylight hours.

Undoubtedly, Turkish UAVs have significantly contributed to the success of two Turkish military campaigns aimed at cutting off routes for PKK branch attempts to establish a strip of villages and towns along the Turkish-Syrian border, linking the provinces of al-Hasakah, ar-Raqqah, and Aleppo, thus preventing the creation of a Kurdish entity along the northern Syrian border.

The first operation, named Operation Olive Branch, started on January 20, 2018, resulting in the capture of the city of Afrin north of Aleppo and the liberation from PKK elements.

The second, named Operation Peace Spring, started on October 9, 2019, focusing on the provinces of al-Hasakah and ar-Raqqah, pushing YPG forces 30 kilometers away from the Turkish border.