Turkiye denies using chemical weapons against Kurds in Iraq 

Turkiye yesterday rejected as “baseless” allegations that its armed forces used chemical weapons against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq.

Denying the claims, the Turkish Defence Ministry accused “parties who had spread them” of trying to “cover up the Turkish army’s achievements”.

While presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said they were part of a “slander campaign” targeting the Turkish army, police and intelligence that is clamping down on Kurdish fighters.

“The chemical weapons lie is a futile attempt by those who try to whitewash and airbrush terrorism. Our fight against terrorism will continue with resolve and determination,” Kalin wrote on Twitter.

Earlier this week, media outlets close to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated by Turkiye as a terrorist organisation, published video clips of the Turkish army’s alleged use of chemical weapons against the armed group in northern Iraq.

In late September, the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) sent a mission to northern Iraq which in turn said it had found indirect evidence of possible violations including containers for hydrochloric acid, bleach and gas masks.

“This is an outright violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and should be pursued legally by the international community,” said the IPPNW.

For her part, Sebnem Korur Fincanci, a leading forensic medicine expert and chairwoman of the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (TİHV) and head of the Turkish Medical Association said after examining the videos from northern Iraq, it is possible that chemical weapons had been used there, calling for a swift investigation in to the issue.

Turkish public prosecutor has since opened an investigation in to Fincanci on charges of “insulting the Turkish nation and state” and “spreading propaganda on behalf of a terrorist organisation.”

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