Turkey’s parliament has given the military another two years to conduct cross-border operations in Syria and Iraq.
The motion was passed in 2013 to assist the worldwide war against ISIL (ISIS), and it has been reaffirmed every year since then.
The motion was extended by two years for the first time on Tuesday, giving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a longer mandate to pursue campaigns against Kurdish fighters in the restive region.
It was also the first time the Republican People’s Party (CHP), the largest opposition party, voted against the bill, ahead of a critical general election in June 2023.
CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu asked Erdogan in an address to his party members in parliament “You don’t tell us what it is about. You say [it will be valid] for two years and tell us to vote for it. Why?”
The CHP voted against Turkish forces being sent in Iraq in 2003, but otherwise backed Erdogan in his various foreign campaigns.
The new law empowers the military to conduct cross-border operations against groups designated as “terrorist groups” by Ankara.
The motion presented to parliament by Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) said “The risks and threats to national security posed by ongoing conflicts in regions near Turkey’s southern border are continuing to increase”.
Earlier this month, Erdogan stated that Turkey was planning to ramp up operations in Syria, where its soldiers were attacked by Kurdish militants backed by the US in the fight against ISIL.
Since 2016, Turkey and its proxies have taken control of territory in northern Syria in four military operations aimed mostly against Kurdish fighters.
For decades, the fighters have exploited their hideouts in northern Iraq as a launching pad for strikes on Turkish land. The Turkish army often bombs its strongholds in mountainous regions.
Ankara claims it is exercising its right to self-defense under international law, despite the fact that the operations have strained relations with Baghdad.
According to Turkish officials, Turkish security forces “nullified” five Kurdish militants in northern Iraq on Tuesday.
