As Turkey intensifies war on Kurdish militants in Iraq, civilians are suffering

Two days after the strikes on Skeiniya, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said in a statement it was following developments with “grave concern.”

“Necessary precautions must be taken during military operations, including airstrikes, to protect and minimise harm to civilians who often suffer the consequences of such attacks,” the statement said, without mentioning Turkey.

Whatever the outcome of the human-rights accusations, some analysts say, the Turkish assaults risk backfiring strategically on Ankara by weakening the international alliance against extremist groups in the region. Jonathan Lord, director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank, said Turkish strikes “are eroding the very security forces that are holding ISIS back at bay.” In Iraq, the strikes could embolden Iran and pro-Iranian militias to extend their operations. “It could create a precedent for other actors to take advantage and co-opt Iraq,” Lord said.

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