Turkey: No Iraq Military Preparations

Turkey’s parliament.

Here Turkish political analyst Ceylan Ozbudak tells readers that Turkey’s parliament would have to pass a resolution allowing military operations against ISIS in Iraq, and that no such resolution has yet been agreed upon. One wonders why the delay in that, as Ms. Ozbudak reports, ISIS has already attacked the Turkish Embassy in Mosul taking diplomats hostage.

A decade after the American troops occupied Mosul, the city fell to the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants (ISIS). Even the rumors of ISIS in the city, were enough to scare the Iraqi military away, to the extent of making them leave all their weapons and ammunition behind. Running away when they are needed most is not new to the Iraqi army. We remember the same scene from when the U.S. troops invaded the country. The scene was as if the Arab deserts swallowed the whole army. On Tuesday, June 10, ISIS took 32 Turkish truck drivers hostage. Following this event, the radical group attacked the Turkish Embassy and took the diplomats hostage. ISIS then declared that the diplomats are safe and will be returned to Turkey and released the 32 truck drivers already.

Turkey doesn’t seem to be preparing for a military operation in Iraq. First of all, the Parliament has to pass a resolution, a permit for the Turkish military to perform operations against ISIS in the Iraqi soil. Even though there is already a resolution allowing military operations against PKK in Iraq, it has to be renewed for ISIS. However, there has been no such attempt in the Turkish Parliament since June 10th; not even for precautionary reasons.

Turkey summoned an emergency meeting for NATO members, however did not request a military operation. On the other hand, United Nations Security Council also held a meeting and expressed their full support to Turkey, once again Turkey did not signal the need of a military operation. Iraqi Kurdistan security forces, the peshmerge was the only force fighting the radical elements in Iraq since day one, this time backed by the YPG fighters from Syria. As Turkey had very good relations with the Iraqi Kurdish region from the very beginning of American occupation, and with the Sunni tribal leaders, this week was the time to reap all that Turkey saw in the last decade.