In the first quarter of 2022, the Inspector General of the US Department of Defense on the security situation in the area of ​​operations of the coalition against ISIS, while emphasizing the negative impact of ISIS presence on the security situation in Iraq and Syria, it is also considered Turkish military operations against the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan as one of the other factors affecting the security situation in this region.

According to the report, which was prepared by three agencies affiliated with the US Department of Defense and under the supervision of the US Secretary of Defense, the Turkish military operation in Iraqi Kurdistan is described as a threat to the stability of the region.

It is also emphasized that these operations have created divisions and rifts among the Iraqi Kurds, especially the two parties of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The report also cites the KDP's close ties with Turkey, as a result of the party's lack of opposition to Turkish military operations, and the relative alignment between the PUK and the PKK.

The US Department of Defense has announced the expansion of Turkish influence in the northern regions of Iraqi Kurdistan, citing the establishment of several Turkish military bases in the territory of the Iraqi Kurdistan region in recent years. The US Department of Defense has also announced that Turkey is focusing on the use of new and modern weapons, including military drones against the PKK, especially its leaders in the mountainous regions of Iraqi Kurdistan.

The US Department of Defense report refers to the visits of Iraqi Kurdistan Region prime minister and president to Turkey and the start of Turkish operations against the PKK shortly after these meetings, implicitly referring to the support of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government for Turkish military operations against the PKK.

Reporter's code: 50101