Operation Hammer (1997)

Operation Hammer
Part of the Turkey-PKK conflict and Iraqi Kurdish Civil War
Date 12 May - 7 July 1997 Location Iraqi Kurdistan Result Turkish victory[citation needed]
Belligerents
Turkey Kurdistan Democratic Party[1]	Kurdistan Workers' Party
Strength
Turkey: 30,000 soldiers[2] 10,000 village guards[2]
Casualties and losses
Turkey: 114 killed[3] 338 wounded[3] 2 helicopters downed[4] (Turkish Claim) KDP: ~200 killed[5]	PKK: 2,730 killed[3] 415 captured[3] (Turkish Claim)

Operation Hammer (Turkish: Çekiç Harekâtı) was a cross-border operation by the Turkish Armed Forces into northern Iraq between 12 May and 7 July 1997 against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The operations objectives were to destroy PKK units in Northern Iraq, to strengthen Massoud Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party in its ongoing Civil War with Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan in the hole that the KDP would prevent further PKK raids into Turkey, and to counter Iranian influence in the region as Turkey accused Iran of supporting the PKK, and over 2,000 Iranian forces had entered Iraqi Kurdistan that year to aid the PUK.^[4]

The conflict

Some 30^[6]-50^[1] thousand Turkish forces entered Iraq on May 14 in response to an appeal by the Kurdistan Democratic Party for support in its offensive against the PKK.^[1] On May 19, the KDP launched a military operation to evacuate all PKK fighters from their capital in Arbil,^[6] which turned into a major battle in which 53 KDP and 58 PKK fighters were killed. In response the PKK ordered 4 suicide bombings from June 1 to June 11 which resulted in the death of 55 KDP fighters^[5] By July 7, when Turkish forces withdrew, over 2,000 PKK and at least 200 KDP forces had been killed.^[5]

The operation drew strong condemnation from Iraq, Iran and Syria.^[1]

Casualties

More than 30,000 troops took part in the initial operation.^[7] Turkey announced fatalities at a total of 114 personnel made out of 14 commissioned officers, four non-commissioned officers, 75 soldiers and 21 village guards. Turkey announced the injured at a total of 185 personnel made out of 24 commissioned officers 17 non-commissioned officers, 338 soldiers and 48 village guards. Turkey announced the total number of militants neutralized at a total of 3,145 with 2,730 being killed and 415 being captured live or injured.^[3]

Turkey launched another large-scale operation in September known as Operation Dawn.^[8]

International reaction

•  Iran: The Iranian government condemned the invasion "as not only a violation of all international laws but the sovereign rights and territorial integrity of the Iraqi Muslim nation" and denounced Turkish claims of Iranian support for the PKK as "a joint conspiracy by the Turkish military and Israel."^[4]

See also

• Operation Steel (1995)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Europa World Year Book 2004 (page 4227)
2. ^ ^{a b} (page 155)
3. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Çekiç harekatı (12 Mayıs - 7 Temmuz 1997)". Hürriyet. http://fotoanaliz.hurriyet.com.tr/GaleriDetay.aspx?cid=6755&p=3&rid=4369. Retrieved 2007-10-11. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} Turkey and Iran Face off in Kurdistan
5. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,MARP,,IRQ,,469f38a6c,0.html
6. ^ ^{a b} Chronology of Kurds in Turkey
7. ^ "Turkey withdraws bulk of troops from Iraq." Associated Press, June 21, 1997.
8. ^ PDF2

External links

• http://www.fas.org/asmp/profiles/turkey_chronology_invasion.htm