Ankara's Old Playbook: 'Counter-Terrorism' as Border Creep
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan recently huddled with Iraqi Defense Minister Thabit Abbasi in Ankara, ostensibly to discuss 'counter-terrorism' operations against the PKK. Shortly after, Fidan took a call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, with 'bilateral relations' on the agenda. Mainstream outlets gloss over these meetings as routine diplomacy, yet the historical
pattern reveals a much deeper, more self-serving agenda at play, conveniently framed by Turkish state media as a necessary push for regional stability. This 'counter-terrorism' narrative is a well-worn path for Turkey. Remember the 1990s, when Turkey launched dozens of cross-border operations into northern Iraq targeting the PKK, often resulting in prolonged military presences? Or the repeated
incursions in 2008 and 2018, each justified by the same security imperative against a group Turkey designates as terrorists. Over seventy military outposts now dot northern Iraq, a significant territorial footprint that flies in the face of Baghdad's stated sovereignty, which protests are routinely ignored. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) records indicate consistent, unaddressed Iraqi
complaints against Turkish military activity. One might wonder why the global chorus for 'territorial integrity' is conspicuously silent when Ankara deploys thousands of troops beyond its borders, all while condemning similar actions elsewhere. This double standard is glaring: a nation can decry separatism within its own borders yet routinely breach those of its neighbors under the guise of an