The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its Impact on Iraqi National Security

Abstract

The Turkish Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is one of the most influential elements in the Iraqi national security since 2014. It has a new and effective role in the Iraqi political arena, as a result of participating in combat operations against ISIS in Nineveh Governorate, which prompted several minorities within the province to sympathize with its presence and its role in particular in Sinjar  after ISIS committed the most brutal crimes against the Aizidi minority, Turkey took advantage of the security conditions that Iraq went through after the entry of ISIS into the country to expand its influence in the north, using the pretext of the PKK and the previous agreement between the two countries on border protection. Also, the continued survival of the Workers Party and its fighters on Iraqi lands, and their continued military operations against Turkey will force Iraq to endure the Turkish forces' raids against them under the right to follow up and use the deterrent defense measure to defend itself. This represents a breach by the Turkish side on Iraqi sovereignty and its effect on Iraqi national security. Therefore, the presence of the PKK in the Iraqi scene and its influence mean that it plays a role in the geopolitical interactions of the Iraqi state, which will in turn affect the Iraqi national security

_{Receipt date: 26/10/2020}

_{accepted date: 6/12/2020}