A general view of Turkey's Embassy in Baghdad is seen in the Green Zone where it was moved in Baghdad, Iraq on March 9, 2020. Getty Images.
A general view of Turkey's Embassy in Baghdad is seen in the Green Zone where it was moved in Baghdad, Iraq on March 9, 2020. Getty Images.
A general view of Turkey's Embassy in Baghdad is seen in the Green Zone where it was moved in Baghdad, Iraq on March 9, 2020. Getty Images.
A general view of Turkey's Embassy in Baghdad is seen in the Green Zone where it was moved in Baghdad, Iraq on March 9, 2020. Getty Images.

Protests against Turkish offensive in Iraq begin in Baghdad


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Iraqi security forces blocked roads leading to the Turkish embassy in Baghdad on Thursday after demonstrations broke out near the diplomatic building, local media reported.

Dozens of demonstrators protested against Turkey's military offensive in northern Iraq, which was launched against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the northern Gara Mountain region this month.

Ankara considers the PKK a terrorist group.

Pictures and videos circulated on social media of protesters holding banners calling for Turkey to leave the country.

“We reject Turkey’s assault on Iraqi land. Turkey out, out,” it said.

The embassy is in Baghdad's Al Waziriya district, which lies outside the heavily fortified Green Zone, where foreign diplomats reside.

Turkey's military operation in the Gara region concluded on Sunday and was carried out to rescue 13 citizens kidnapped by Kurdish separatist forces, all of whom were found dead.

The operation was part of efforts to secure Turkey's borders and find the missing citizens, said the Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar.

The four-day military operation began with air strikes and artillery shelling before commandos and ground troops moved in. Turkey said it killed 48 PKK fighters and captured two, while three Turkish soldiers were killed and three were wounded.

The coffins of three Turkish military members killed in Iraq are carried during funeral prayers at Ahmet Hamdi Akseki Mosque in Ankara on February 12, 2021. AFP
The coffins of three Turkish military members killed in Iraq are carried during funeral prayers at Ahmet Hamdi Akseki Mosque in Ankara on February 12, 2021. AFP

Turkey has been fighting the Kurdish militant group along its borders with Syria and Iraq for several decades.

In the past year, Turkish forces conducted several cross-border operations into northern Iraq despite protests from Baghdad.

Last June, Turkey launched Operation Claw-Tiger in the mountainous terrain of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

It has used warplanes, drones and special forces. Authorities said hundreds of PKK targets were hit, but gave few details.

Karwaan

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Akarsh Khurana

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5

Who are the Sacklers?

The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.

Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. 

It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.

Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".

The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.

Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.

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Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

The specs

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Transmission: Eight-speed auto

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How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less