Turkey remains committed to its war on Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria despite sustaining some serious losses and facing pressure from Russia.
In Iraq, the Turkish military operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Kurdistan Region, codenamed Operation Claw-Lock, is still ongoing. The operation, which was launched on April 17, is mainly taking place in the areas of Metina, Zap and Avashin Basyan.
On May 25, Turkey received a large blow when five of its soldiers were killed and two others were wounded during clashes with the PKK in the Claw-Lock operation area.
On May 28, a Turkish soldier was killed and another was wounded in the Kurdistan Region as a result of an attack with an improvised explosive device that was attributed to the PKK.
On May 29, the Turkish Ministry of National Defense said that a soldier had died of wounds he had sustained as a result of an unspecified attack which took place in the Kurdistan Region two days earlier. The PKK is also suspected to be behind the attack.
The new casualties bring the number of Turkish troops killed in the Kurdistan region since the beginning of Operation Claw-Lock to 19. Despite these losses, Turkey will not likely end the operation any time soon. Ankara claims that its military has killed, wounded or captured 158 fighters of the PKK, so far.
In Syria, Turkey continues to deploy reinforcements and mobilize its proxies in preparations for a new operation against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). As of May 29, Turkish military buildups were reported in the northern and northwestern Aleppo countryside as well as in the northern Raqqa countryside and the northern countryside of al-Hasakah.
Russia, who opposes any new Turkish military operation in Syria, has already taken steps to deter Ankara.
Between May 26 and 29, Russian warplanes carried out a series of patrols, airstrikes and reconnaissance sorties over Turkish-occupied areas in northern and northeastern Syria.
In order to increase its aerial activity over these regions, Russia deployed several Su-34 fighter bombers and Ka-52 attack helicopters in the al-Qamishli Airport in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah on May 28. On the same day, the Russian Military Police conducted a joint patrol with the Syrian Arab Army and officials from the SDF along the frontlines with Turkish forces in the northern al-Hasakah countryside.
Russia appears to be determined to prevent Turkey from launching a new military operation in Syria. Both Moscow and Damascus have key differences with the SDF. However, they believe that any new Turkish operation against the group will only worsen the humanitarian situation in the northern and northeastern regions.