Turkey’s Parliament Extends Iraq Mandate

Turkey’s parliament today voted to extend the mandate allowing the military to launch attacks into northern Iraq for at least another year.

Since the US invasion of Iraq and the establishment of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) the Turkish military has launched repeated strikes into northern Iraq targeting the Kurdish rebels that they’ve been fighting for decades.

Turkey has also accused the KRG of supporting the rebel faction, the PKK. The PKK termed today’s extended mandate as a set-back for regional peace. Though the Turkish government has expressed openness at settling long-standing Kurdish grievances they have ruled out negotiating with the PKK.