Erdogan Warns Iraq That Turkey Could Target Refugee Camp Inside Country

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a warning to Iraq that Turkey will "clean up" a refugee camp it believes is providing protection to Kurdish militants, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Makhmour, a camp about 110 miles from Turkey's border with Iraq, has housed Turkish refugees for two decades, but Erdogan said on Tuesday that Turkey believes the camp is an "incubator" for militants, and action must be taken, Reuters reported.

Turkey has increased its attacks on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a designated terrorist group that has bases across Iraq. The bases have been Turkey's target, most lying no farther than about 20 miles into Iraqi territory. Still, Turkey is willing to take its military campaign deeper into the country.

"How long are we supposed to be patient about it?" Erdogan told Turkish state broadcaster TRT in an interview on Tuesday, referring to the "clean-up" he was proposing. "If the United Nations does not clean it up, we will do it as a UN member."

He added that Ankara, the capital of Turkey, believes Makhmour is as big a threat as the PKK's stronghold, which is further north.

A senior Iraqi official told Reuters that Turkey had complained last week to Baghdad about "terrorist activities launched by the PKK from their camp in Makhmour against Turkey."

According to The Jerusalem Post, security and local officials investigated the complaint and told the government that the Makhmour camp was controlled by PKK fighters who did not allow access to government forces, the Iraqi official said.

"Makhmour camp is being used as one of the logistics centers in attacks against Turkey or the Turkish Armed Forces," a senior Turkish official said. "It's time now, it has to be cleansed of PKK."

The camp was allegedly the target of Turkish airstrikes a year ago, although the senior Turkish official confirmed no casualties had been reported at the time. Ankara is now working to make an attack on Makhmour a priority.

The PKK has fought against insurgency against Turkey since 1984, and Reuters reported that more than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict over the years.

Makhmour was established in Iraq in the late 1990s after thousands of Kurds from Turkey crossed the border, an action Ankara claimed was deliberately provoked by the PKK.

Turkey has launched many attacks, and one in February against the PKK created a diplomatic quarrel as Iran's ambassador warned that Turkish forces should not violate Iraqi soil. It is unclear how Iraqi officials feel about Turkey's most recent warning.

Newsweek reached out to Erdogan's office for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.