Turkey using illegal, banned chemical weapons in Iraq against Kurdish workers: Report

Turkey has been blamed for using forbidden weapons in the Middle East, despite the fact that the country signed the '1997 Chemical Weapons Convention.' As per ANI, these include the use of prohibited chemical weapons against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters in Northern Iraq.

Author Paul Antonopoulos stated that Turkish forces vehemently use prohibited chemical weapons against fighters of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Northern Iraq and killed dozens of Kurdish militants in an operation named 'Operation Claw Lightning' that began on April 23, 2021, citing The Jerusalem Post. Around 50 Kurdish community members staged a protest outside the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) offices in The Hague on December 3 last year, against the continuous use of chemical weapons.

Demonstrators request probe into Turkish soldiers

Despite being detained by security authorities, the demonstrators requested a probe into Turkish soldiers' continuous use of illegal chemical weapons and substances in northern Iraq. Pro-Kurdish news outlet ANF also claimed similar instances of the Turkish military using chemical weapons in the conflict zone. During the first six months of the campaign, the PKK claimed that there were more than 323 chemical weapons attacks, the first of which occurred in the Gare area in February 2021, according to ANI. Six combatants were killed in the Avasin-Basyan, Metina, and Zap regions in Iraq as a result of the chemical weapon attack, while 32 others were killed afterwards.

To avoid any international investigation, Turkey continues to deny these charges of chemical weapons use, using its role as a NATO and US partner as justification, according to Greek City Times. The accusation against Turkey is not new as the country has been accused of crimes for more than two decades. The OPCW probe into Turkish soldiers has similarly revealed no results during this time.

Independent and impartial OPCW or UN-led investigation

Kurdish community members in Northern Iraq are calling for an independent and impartial OPCW or UN-led investigation into Turkey's suspected use of forbidden chemical weapons, and are willing to hand over legitimate footage and documents to substantiate the claims, according to ANI.

(Inputs from ANI)

Image: AP