Once again the question arises: which side are the Turks on? The Erdogan regime has never been much interested in moving against the Islamic State, and continues to fight against the Kurds, who are standing against the Islamic State. It is likely that Erdogan hopes that the Islamic State will eliminate the Kurds, and then he can reap the benefits of their labors and co-opt the upstart caliphate.
“Militants stage rare attack in Kurdish-held territory in Iraq,” Reuters, November 3, 2015:
KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) – Islamist militants launched a rare attack inside Kurdish-held territory in northern Iraq on Tuesday, briefly taking over a local government compound near several producing oil fields.
The Kurds have largely managed to insulate their autonomous region from violent instability further south whilst holding a long front line against Islamic State militants who control a large part of Iraq.
Security sources said a suicide bomber had blown himself up at a checkpoint, clearing the way for three other militants to enter the compound in the town of Dibis 50 km (30 miles) south of the regional capital Erbil.
The three insurgents then occupied the mayor of Dibis’s office, throwing grenades and firing at Kurdish security forces surrounding the compound, security sources said.
Kurdish forces regained control after one of the militants was shot dead and the other two blew themselves up, security sources said. At least four members of the Kurdish security forces were also killed.
Police Chief Serhat Qader said the attack was probably the work of a sleeper cell in Dibis, which has a mixed Arab and Kurdish population. A curfew was imposed on the town afterwards….
“Turkey Launches Airstrikes on Kurdish Militants in Northern Iraq,” by Dion Nissenbaum, Wall Street Journal, November 3, 2015:
ISTANBUL—Turkish jets launched a new series of airstrikes on Kurdish militants in northern Iraq, the first indication that the government is pressing ahead with its military campaign against them as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s allies in parliament prepare to reclaim one-party rule.
While Mr. Erdogan and the dominant political party he founded celebrated their victory in Sunday’s election, the Turkish military confirmed on Tuesday that it had staged attacks on Monday against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, known as the PKK, which has been branded as a terrorist force by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union.
Turkish security forces also stepped up operations in southeastern Turkey on Tuesday, killing at least four Kurdish activists in clashes and imposing a curfew in part of a town in southeastern Diyarbakir province that has been at the epicenter of protests.
As the military pressed ahead with the campaign, Kurdish politicians issued a new appeal for a cease-fire and warned the incoming government not to interpret its electoral victory as a mandate to rely solely on force to deal with the Kurdish minority’s decadeslong [sic] fight for more rights and freedoms….

Jeremiah says
In this confusing war where muslims like to kill each other in order to be the first to get to the Christians and Jews, one thing is for sure: The Kurds need a home land. From our strategic interests, let’s cut that out of the countries they are in as loyalty for what they have done without our assistance to assist us
voegelinian says
The vast majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslims. Sunni Muslims don’t deserve to be helped by non-Muslims. Please, leave the bleeding heart sympathy for Muslims to the PC MC mainstream, and don’t stink up the Counter-Jihad (will someone please open a Big Tent flap to let some air in…?)
umbra says
The only reason for supporting a kurdish homeland is so that those ROP types in turkey, syria, iraq and iran will spend most of their time in the next several years (or decades) entertaining themselves rather than inflicting their “values” on the rest of the world. At the end of that process, one could hope that turkey would crumbled, losing large swathes of land to those kurds. In addition, one would also hope that some kurdish lands would be carved out of iran, iraq and syria. With a sunni-majority kurdistan lodged between shia-majority iran and iraq coupled with an alawite controlled syria (assuming assad and family is still around) plus what is left of a kurdish hating turkey, there may be a continual ROP conflict in that region in decades to come.
voegelinian says
” It is likely that Erdogan hopes that the Islamic State will eliminate the Kurds, and then he can reap the benefits of their labors and co-opt the upstart caliphate.”
I notice Robert Spencer invariably appends this bit of speculation whenever a story is reported on Turkey seeming to enable ISIS. The speculation implies that Turkish Muslims like Erdogan (and the courageous Turkish-German nun, Hatune Dogan, says they are all essentially like Erdogan, “all fanatics”, and I trust her word more than any Counter Jihad Softy much less any PC MC analysts) don’t harbor a deeper affinity with ISIS. Given the mountains of data we know (or ought to know by now) about Islam and Muslims, it would be foolhardy for us to promote an erring on the generous side, rather than on the suspicious side, whenever we analyze and/or assess Muslims.
Angemon says
voegelinian posted:
“I notice Robert Spencer invariably appends this bit of speculation whenever a story is reported on Turkey seeming to enable ISIS. The speculation implies that Turkish Muslims like Erdogan (and the courageous Turkish-German nun, Hatune Dogan, says they are all essentially like Erdogan, “all fanatics”, and I trust her word more than any Counter Jihad Softy much less any PC MC analysts) don’t harbor a deeper affinity with ISIS.”
Let’s see if I can follow your, *ahem* logic: what you ascribe Robert Spencer – that Turkish muslims don’t harbor a deeper affinity with ISIS – is “speculation”, but someone stating the opposite – i.e., that all Turkish muslims are as fanatical as ISIS – isn’t. Did I get it right?
“Given the mountains of data we know (or ought to know by now) about Islam and Muslims, it would be foolhardy for us to promote an erring on the generous side, rather than on the suspicious side, whenever we analyze and/or assess Muslims.”
Robert Spencer has made his position on Turkey known through many articles on this site – when, exactly, did he suggest to err on the generous side?
Islam :- the religion of con artists says
It appears the Turkey is quietly on the IS side, by allowing oil and supply etc.. transactions, I know greasing the palm is how business is done in ME countries, but seriously,, Turkey is in NATO and should be told to sharpen up or booted out, with no more access to military tech.
Matthieu Baudin says
“…It is likely that Erdogan hopes that the Islamic State will eliminate the Kurds…”
Question follows; has the U.S. been following a similar strategy and hoping that Islamic State will eliminate the Syrian regime?