Iraq

In response to a fatal ambush attack by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on a military convoy in southeast Turkey, the Turkish military attacked numerous points in northern Iraq in retaliation on August 18-19. Military leaders stated that its artillery struck 168 targets in the region, including anti-aircraft defences and rebel shelters. They then sent military planes to strike 60 Kurdish guerrilla targets in two waves, and declared that such operations would continue until the PKK is 'rendered ineffective'. The uptick in Kurdish-Turkish tensions will only exacerbate an already-unstable political situation in Iraq, and could strain Turkish-Iraqi diplomatic ties.

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