In a speech to military academy graduates, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared the imminent end of Turkey's latest ground military operation in northern Iraq. The operation, titled "Claw-Lock," which was launched in April 2022, was hailed as a success by President Erdogan, who stated that Kurdish fighters are now "incapable of acting inside our borders."

While President Erdogan did not provide a specific timeline for the conclusion of the operation, he emphasized that Turkey would "close the lock very soon" in the Claw Operation Zone in northern Iraq, according to Reuters. The implications of this development on the ground in northern Iraq and Syria, where Ankara has intensified air raids in recent months, remain unclear.

This latest operation is part of Turkey's long-standing efforts to combat the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been based in northern Iraq for decades. The PKK, designated as a "terrorist" group by Ankara, the United States, and the European Union, initiated armed resistance against the Turkish state in 1984. Turkey has previously conducted major ground operations against the PKK in northern Iraq, starting in the mid-1990s, and incursions into Syria since 2015, targeting both Kurdish fighters and the ISIS armed group.

The protracted conflict has resulted in the loss of over 40,000 lives. Tragically, in July 2022, Turkish shelling claimed the lives of eight tourists, including a child, in a resort located in the Kurdish Zakho district in northern Iraq.

In Syria, Turkish forces have targeted the Kurdish People's Defence Units (YPG), which Ankara regards as an offshoot of the PKK, as well as the Kurdish-led, US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces. The Turkish government has repeatedly aimed to establish a buffer or "secure" zone along its border with neighboring countries. This endeavor began in 2019, following the withdrawal of US troops from northern Syria, where Turkey launched an operation to gain control over border areas.

Notably, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler recently expressed Turkey's firm determination to create a 30-40 km (19-25 mile) deep security corridor along the Iraqi and Syrian borders, intended to eradicate terrorist elements from the region. He emphasized that Turkish operations would persist until the last terrorist is neutralized, according to Politico.

President Erdogan reiterated this commitment, promising that Turkish forces would "complete the missing points of the security belt along our southern border with Syria," as reported by AFP. The development marks a continuation of Turkey's efforts to bolster its southern border security and combat terrorist threats in the region.