Turkish forces in fresh offensive against PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan The latest Turkish military operation against the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan comes at a time when Ankara finds itself increasingly under strain, both on the domestic front and in its frosty ties with Washington. Iraqi riot police protect the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad on Feb. 18, 2021 after calls on social media to gather outside the Turkish embassy to protest Turkey s vows to invade the northwestern enclave of Sinjar. There have been rising tensions in north Iraq, where neighboring Turkey has been waging a fierce land and air assault against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to oust its rebels from the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq. A new Turkish offensive began April 23. - AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images