| Operation Martyr Yalçın | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theTurkey–ISIL conflict and theKurdish–Turkish conflict | ||||||||
| ||||||||
| Belligerents | ||||||||
 Revolutionary People's Liberation Party–Front | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
 Recep Tayyip ErdoğanAhmet DavutoğluHulusi Akar |  Abu Bakr al-BaghdadiAbu Ala al-Afri |  Murat Karayılan Cemil BayıkHüseyin Fevzi Tekin | ||||||
| Strength | ||||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | 4,000[4] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | ||||||||
| Two police officers injured in Hakkari.[5] Two soldiers killed and four wounded inDiyarbakir[6][7] | 11–35 killed[8][9][10] | 160 killed (Turkish claim)[11] | ||||||
Operation Martyr Yalçın (Turkish:Şehit Yalçın Operasyonu) was a military operation conducted by theTurkish Air Force againstIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) positions inSyria, andKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions in northernIraq, on 24 and 25 July 2015.[12]
The operation began in the early hours of 24 July, a day after ISIL militants reportedly attacked a Turkish military border outpost in the Turkish town ofElbeyli inKilis Province,killing one soldier, Yalçın Nane, and injuring two others. The operation is named after the dead soldier.
The operation involved three waves ofairstrikes against ISIL positions in Syria and two waves of airstrikes against PKK positions inIraqi Kurdistan. Airstrikes were launched byF-16 fighter jets taking off fromDiyarbakır andİncirlik Air Base on 24 July and 25 July. It was reported that 35 ISIL militants had been killed in the first wave after footage from the fighter jets andunmanned aircraft were analysed, while the airstrikes in Northern Iraq were confirmed to have killed a high-ranking PKK militant and were alleged to have killed the PKK commanderMurat Karayılan.[13] After 25 July, Turkey stopped its airstrikes on ISIL but continued with those against the PKK.
The airstrikes against the PKK resulted in an increase in violence inTurkish Kurdistan. In conjunction with the airstrikes,large-scale domestic operations were conducted by theGeneral Directorate of Security andGendarmerie in over 22Turkish provinces. The airstrikes have been referred to as a 'major policy shift' and a 'game changer' in theglobal military intervention against ISIL.[14]
The conflict between the Turkish government andKurdish separatists has been ongoing for over 40 years, with a ceasefire in late 2012 marking the beginning of a 'solution process' between the government and theKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant organisation. As of early July 2015, the ceasefire and negotiations have continued despite numerous minor infringements and violations on both sides.
Following the2015 Suruç bombing, which targeted members of a group sympathetic to the Kurdish movement,militants of disputed affiliation killed two policemen in the town ofCeylanpınar,Şanlıurfa Province, in an act of retaliation against suspected collaboration between Turkey and ISIL.[15] PKK militants also attacked a military base inAdıyaman, killing another soldier. Much of the airstrikes have been successful in hitting PKK populated areas, however many civilians have been killed as a result of the strikes.[16] On 10 August 2015, a Turkish Air Force airstrike occurred near a U.S. Special Forces training site made for the purpose of training KurdishPeshmerga fighters combating ISIL.[16]
Before the operation, the Turkish government had pursued an internationally criticised policy of inaction against ISIL, opting out of theanti-ISIL coalition and refusing to allow theUnited States to use the strategicİncirlik Air Base for airstrikes against ISIL unless they also targeted the forces ofBashar al-Assad. The Turkish policy of inaction contributed to the breakout ofdeadly riots inNorthern Kurdistan, in protest against the government's refusal to intervene in ISIL'ssiege of Kobanî. Turkey's policy of inaction was also thought to be a contributing factor to Turkey's failure to win a seat in theUnited NationsSecurity Council in the2014 Security Council election.[17][18] Kurds and the Turkish opposition have also accused the government of actively supporting ISIL.[19][20]
On 20 July 2015,a bombing in the Turkish district ofSuruç, allegedly perpetrated by the ISIL-linkedDokumacılar group, killed 32 young activists and injured over 100. On 23 July, ISIL militants attacked Turkish military positions, killing one soldier and injuring two others. This was largely seen as acasus belli, which resulted in Turkish Prime MinisterAhmet Davutoğlu taking the decision to begin active air operations against PKK and ISIL positions south of Turkey's border.
The Turkish government claimed the operation was an effort to pre-empt a planned attack on Turkey[21] and by saying: "The state of the Republic of Turkey is decisive in taking any precaution to safeguard its national security".[12]
At 03:12 on 24 July, fourF-16 fighter jets took off fromDiyarbakır's 8th main airbase command, targeting ISIL. The operation was named afterthe soldier reportedly killed in an ISIL attack on 23 July on Turkish soldiers, Yalçın Nane.[22] The jets used guided missiles to bomb two ISIL headquarters and one ISIL gathering point inSyria, near village Havar.[12] Prime MinisterAhmet Davutoğlu claimed 100% accuracy. The jets bombed the sites without entering Syrian airspace, and the Syrian government was informed of the attack, according to Turkish officials.[23] The operation took 1 hour and 12 minutes.[24] It was reported that 35 ISIL militants had been killed during the operation.[8][25] According to the SOHR, Turkish Armed Forces killed 11 IS fighters.[26][27]
On the evening of 24 July, over 20 fighter jets took off fromDiyarbakır at around 22:30 local time, targeting bothKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets in northernIraq and ISIL targets inSyria.[citation needed][2][3] The airstrikes on Kurdish targets were heavily criticised by the PKK, which accused the government of ending theSolution process.[28]
Three ISIL targets were reported to have been struck.[29]
At around 8pm local time on 24 July, attackers of unknown origin fired on F-16 fighter jets inDiyarbakır's main Air Base while they were taking off.[30] As a result, police officers and soldiers secured the area while the jets continued to conduct their operation.[31] The jets returned to their hangars after they returned. The perpetrators could not be identified.
On 24 July, Turkish tanks reportedly bombarded a village west ofKobani, targeting KurdishPeople's Protection Units (YPG), resulting in four YPG fighters being injured.[32]
On 25 July, Prime MinisterAhmet Davutoğlu announced that he had given the order to carry out a third wave air operation against ISIL targets, alongside a second wave in Iraq against the PKK.[citation needed] Davutoğlu called the airstrikes a part of a broad 'process' and gave support to the main oppositionRepublican People's Party's call for an extraordinary convention of theGrand National Assembly, which was in recess.[33][34]
The third wave (= the 25 July wave) began at around 10:20 local time on 25 July, with 70 F-16 fighter jets taking off fromDiyarbakır to strike both PKK targets in Northern Iraq and ISIL targets in Syria. The jets attacking ISIL positions were reported to have violated Syrian airspace this time, bringing identified ISIL targets under heavy bombardment. Activity was also reported atİncirlik Air Base, while unmanned drones taking off fromBatman Air Base assessed the damage to PKK targets.[35][36]
The operations were heavily directed towards the PKK camps in Northern Iraq, targeting over 400 positions. The ‘third wave’ itself was conducted in three different waves, with close to 70 fighter jets taking part in the first two and 25 taking part in the third. The targets encompassed over 300 kilometres, with many of the targets being identified as the PKK's main training and storage camps. The PKK reported that a senior official of the PKK had been killed while three other militants had been injured.[37] It was also alleged that the PKK's commanderMurat Karayılan was killed during the airstrikes.[13]
European Union – EU Commissioner for foreign affairs,Federica Mogherini, stated that the EU supported the airstrikes against ISIL and offered condolences for those killed in recent terror attacks, while stressing the need to preserve thesolution process with Kurdish rebels.[38]
Germany – German Defence MinisterUrsula von der Leyen stated that the German government saluted Turkey's change of policy and airstrikes against ISIL.[39] German ChancellorAngela Merkel also expressed her support for Turkey's operations against terrorism, but stressed that thesolution process with Kurdish rebels should be maintained.[40]
United Kingdom – UK Prime MinisterDavid Cameron expressed his support for Turkey's fight against terrorism during a phone call with Turkish Prime MinisterAhmet Davutoğlu on 24 July.[41]
United States – The US Deputy Special Presidential Envoy to the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL,Brett H. McGurk, stated that the US respect Turkey's right to self-defence against attacks from the PKK and condemned the PKK's attacks.
