Military operations in Turkey have killed at least 110 Kurdish fighters. Reuters.

A building damaged in the fighting. Reuters. 

Military operations in southern Turkey have killed at least 110 Kurdish fighters. Reuters. Clashes continued as the sixth day of the operation began. Protests erupted in Istanbul and Diyarbakir, which were broken up by riot police armed with tear gas and plastic bullets. Most of the fighting occurred near the Syrian and Iraqi borders. In one of the cities, Cizre, 300 houses were damaged and there have been shortages of power, food and supplies throughout the region. 10,000 police and soldiers participated in the attack, including at least 30 vehicles. The target is the PKK, the Kurdish Worker's Party, which has also been called a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union. At least two Turks died in the attack, including one soldier and a mail carrier. 

My Comment:

I have no idea who to support in this war. I am on record as not liking the government of Turkey. As far as I am concerned they are genocide deniers at best, and they have a lot of other problem as well. Their recent human rights record is terrible and they are one of the worst countries in the world for the treatment of journalists. Turkey has also been a terrible partner in the war against ISIS, going so far as to buy oil from the terrorist groups and doing nothing to prevent them from entering Syria from their borders. The country has also needlessly increased tensions between the west and Russia, with their shoot down of a Russian fighter jet. 

Compared to all that the Kurds almost seem sympathetic. After all they have been a great ally in the fight against ISIS and they have been about the only competent fighters going after the terror group in both Syria and Iraq. But I have more then a few reservations about the PKK. Though it would be unfair to call the PKK communist, they do lean further to the left then I am comfortable with. And they have also worked with actual communists, which is a total non-starter for me. They are also one of the few non-Islamic groups out there that have used suicide bombings. How you convince someone to blow themselves up without the religious motivation is beyond me, but somehow the PKK has managed to do so. 

Like most conflicts in the world, no one side in this war is obviously morally superior. I guess I like the Kurds a bit more, just because I dislike the current government of Turkey. But they are still far left terrorists, and I can't really support them either. This is a war where no matter who wins, the outcome is going to be bad for everyone. 

Still, I am fairly disgusted with Turkey. They have used their phony war against ISIS to pretty much exclusively target the Kurds. It was always clear that the country wanted nothing to do with fighting ISIS. Since they joined the war, they have only struck ISIS once, to my knowledge. All other attacks have targeted the Kurds, in Turkey, Iraq and Syria. 

And Turkey is indirectly supporting ISIS with this war. They were already doing so by buying their oil and not controlling their borders, but this is even more serious. By attacking the forces most effective in fighting ISIS, they are helping them. Maybe not directly, but you have to think that the Kurds are moving their forces around to respond to this new threat. With Turkey bombing them and attacking their allies in Turkey, the Syrian Kurds are in a much weaker position that they should be. 

With the new war between Turkey and the Kurds, I often wonder what the fate of the Americans and other foreign fighters working with the Syrian Kurds. Though fighting with the Kurds isn't illegal as far as I know, you would have to think that working with a group that works with the PKK, a designated terror group, might get you onto some kind of list. When the people that you are fighting with are fighting against a US ally, then you could really get yourself into trouble. I can't imagine the diplomatic problems it would cause if one of these Americans were killed or captured by the Turks. I imagine it would be a political nightmare. 

As for Turkey itself, it seems like the whole country is becoming unhinged. This conflict between the Turks and the Kurds is not the only problem the country is having. They are also in a conflict with Russia that continues to be a huge issue as well. Though I doubt the shooting down of the Russian jet will lead to war, it could lead to further skirmishes. In short, Turkey is greatly contributing to the chaos that is the Middle East, and I think it would be very wise if we were to reevaluate our relationship with them...