Daily Times

A bomb blast in Siirt province, Turkey, has led to the deaths of eight soldiers. The military has blamed the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) for the attack. Although this claim has not been proved, the PKK’s involvement is likely, given the recent escalation in violence between the Turkish military and the Kurdish fighters. Since the military broke a 2013 ceasefire, 40,000 people have died in the fighting and with Islamic State (IS) looming at the Turkey-Syria border, the stakes in ending the conflict are high. The Turkish government must return to negotiations if it hopes to bring an end to this long running conflict. A continuation of reliance on military means will only prolong the bloodshed. The Kurdish insurgency can be ended if Ankara musters the political will to resolve the issue through talks and allows the Kurds more political and cultural autonomy. The government remains apprehensive of the Kurdish fighters because they believe them to be separatists — a moot concern because the PKK dropped its quest for a separate Kurdish state and instead demanded greater autonomy when it agreed to a ceasefire and talks. If the state were to change its policy about Turkey’s Kurds and stop treating them like second-class citizens, successful negotiations could be an attainable goal.
In addition to this conflict, Turkey is facing political uncertainty after President Erdogan’s long-reigning Justice and Development Party (AKP) was unable to secure a majority in the last election and Prime Minister Davatoglu has not been able to form a coalition with the other parties. Instead of allowing the Republican People’s Party to form its own coalition government, President Erdogan would rather hold fresh elections. Erdogan’s political ambitions notwithstanding, Turkey’s elected representatives must prioritise the peace and stability of the country over party politics. Politically unstable regions and war zones are the usual strategic targets of IS (as in the case of Iraq and Syria). IS has a maniacal dedication to expanding its territory and will undoubtedly seize any opportunity to encroach into Turkey. Kurdish fighters have been able to keep IS troops from crossing over the Turkey-Syria border, but that does not rule out the possibility of a future IS infiltration. Like the Syrian Kurdish forces, the PKK has also been fighting IS, but the crossfire with the military has diverted its focus to defence against the Turkish military’s attacks. As Turkey has recently indicated it is joining the US-led coalition against IS, it makes sense for the state to bury the hatchet with the PKK, especially because the US is supporting the Syrian Kurdish troops in their battle against IS. As we have already seen in the fight against IS, the looming threat of a common enemy should ideally produce an anti-IS alliance. *