October 1992 Turkish attack on Hakurk Camp () was a cross-border operation by the

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; , TSK) are the armed forces, military forces of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey. The TAF consist of the Turkish Army, Land Forces, the Turkish Navy, Naval Forces and the Turkish Air Force, Air Forces. The Chief of ...

into northern

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

between 12 October and 1 November 1992, that was conducted during the October 1992 Turkish incursion into Northern Iraq, against the

Kurdistan Workers Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurdish militant political organization and armed gu ...

(PKK) which is listed as a

terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

organization internationally by a number of states and organizations, including the United States,

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

and the EU."Council Decision"

Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and less formally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven institutions of the European Union (EU) a ...

, December 21, 2005 More than 70,000 people have been killed in the

Kurdish–Turkish conflict Kurdish nationalism, Kurdish nationalist uprisings have periodically occurred in Turkey, beginning with the Turkish War of Independence and the consequent transition from the Ottoman Empire to the modern Turkish state and continuing to the pre ...

since 1984.

Prelude

On April 8, 1992, Iraqi Kurdish leaders agreed to stop the PKK's raids into Turkey from their territory in an attempt to create good relations with Turkey. In response, the PKK cut supply routes from Turkey to

Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...

on July 31.http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,MARP,,TUR,,469f38e91e,0.html Chronology for Kurds in Turkey To re-open the supply roots,

Peshmerga The Peshmerga () are the internal security forces of Kurdistan Region. According to the Constitution of Iraq, regional governments are responsible for "the establishment and organization of the internal security forces for the region such as p ...

loyal to the

Kurdistan Democratic Party The Kurdistan Democratic Party (), usually abbreviated as KDP or PDK, is the ruling Political party, party in Iraqi Kurdistan and the senior partner in the Kurdistan Regional Government. It was founded in 1946 in Mahabad in Iranian Kurdistan. ...

and the

Patriotic Union of Kurdistan The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK; ) is a political party active in Kurdistan Region and the Disputed territories of Northern Iraq, disputed territories in Iraq. The PUK describes its goals as self-determination, human rights, democracy a ...

(Iraqi Kurdistan's ruling parties), started an offensive on October 4 to drive the PKK from northern Iraq.

The Operation

On August 6, the

Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force () is the Air force, air and space force of the Turkish Armed Forces. It traces its origins to 1 June 1911 when it was founded as the Ottoman Aviation Squadrons, Aviation Squadrons by the Ottoman Empire. It was composed ...

launched air raids to support Iraqi Kurdish forces in their offensive against the PKK. After the air raids, Turkey launched an operation against the PKK, with 2,500 commandos, backed by APCs, helicopters, and aircraft. It was estimated the PKK had over 10,000 fighters in the region. Turkey killed and captured 2,783 PKK fighters and wounded 2,700 by November 5, with another 1,000 surrendering to Iraqi Kurdish forces, a number which rose to 1,400 by 12 November. In mid-November Turkish forces started to withdraw the region after occupying Hakurk. According to PKK authorities, the PKK had only lost 150 fighters during the operation.http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,MARP,,TUR,,469f38e91e,0.html Chronology for Kurds in Turkey As a result of the operation, Hakurk Camp was not getting any support from other regions inside Iraq so they were running out of men and supplies, PKK commanders also found it increasingly difficult to communicate with

Abdullah Öcalan Abdullah Öcalan ( ; ; born 4 April 1948 or 1949), also known as Apo (short for Abdullah in Turkish; Kurdish for "uncle"), is a founding member of the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Öcalan was based in Syria from 1979 to 1998. He ...

, who was in Syria at the time. Therefore, his brother Osman Öcalan agreed to meet with Prime Minister of Iraqi Kurdistan

Fuad Masum Muhammad Fuad Masum Hurami (; , born 1 January 1938) is an Iraqi Kurdish politician who served as the seventh president of Iraq from 24 July 2014 to 2 October 2018. He was elected as president following the 2014 parliamentary election. Masum i ...

on October 30 to negotiate. The negotiations were supported by Faruk Bozkur but were opposed by Murat Karayılan, which were the two other main commanders in northern Iraq.Page 203-206
On November 17, the

Kurdistan Regional Government The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is the official executive body of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. The cabinet is selected by the majority party or list who also select the prime minister of the Iraqi Kurdish poli ...

(KRG) and the PKK reached a truce accord under which the PKK would re-open all routes to Turkey and release 2 captured Turkish soldiers. A buffer zone between Iraq and Turkey was to be created to prevent further PKK activities, however, according to Turkish officials this did not happen due to a lack of cooperation from the KRG.

References

{{Turkey–Kurdistan Workers Party conflict History of the Kurdistan Workers' Party 1992 in Turkey 1992 in Iraqi Kurdistan Conflicts in 1992 Cross-border operations of Turkey into Iraq October 1992 in Iraq November 1992 in Iraq Airstrikes conducted by Turkey Airstrikes in Iraq Helicopter attacks Attacks on military installations in 1992 Attacks on military installations in Iraq Attacks on buildings and structures in Kurdistan Region (Iraq)

Prelude

The Operation

See also

References