Turkey's limited military offensive in northern Iraq will seek to eliminate the threat posed by Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants in and around the Gara Mountains, but in the near term, fears of international backlash will deter Turkey from expanding its offensive into other nearby Iraqi provinces or Syria, meaning Ankara's overall objective to cut PKK supply lines into Turkey will likely remain incomplete. Beginning in June 2024, Turkey reportedly started military ground and air incursions deeper into Iraq's northern Duhok province against PKK targets. As the operation started to make headlines, Iraqi authorities strongly criticized Turkey on July 10 for resuming ground military operations, calling on Ankara to instead address its security concerns through diplomatic channels. Since 2022, Turkey has primarily used airstrikes in Iraq's Kurdistan region against the PKK, which is labeled as a ''terrorist'' group by Ankara and several Western entities (including the United States and the...
