Operation Steel

Operation Steel Çelik Harekâtı
Part of the Kurdish–Turkish conflict
Date 20 March - 4 May 1995 Location Iraqi Kurdistan Result Indecisive[1]
Belligerents
Turkey	Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
Commanders and leaders
Hasan Kundakçı	Nizamettin Taş
Strength
35,000+[2]	2,400-2,800[3]
Casualties and losses
64 killed[4] 185 wounded[4] (Turkish Claim) 800 killed[1][2] (PKK Claim)	555 killed[4] 13 captured[4] (Turkish Claim) 60 killed[1] (PKK Claim)
200 civilians killed by PKK[5] 15,000 Iraqi Kurdish civilians displaced [1]

Operation Steel (Turkish: Çelik Harekâtı) was a cross-border operation by the Turkish Armed Forces into northern Iraq between 20 March and 4 May 1995 against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The battle

On March 20, 1995, some 35,000 Turkish troops launched an invasion into Northern Iraq. The effect of the attack was however relatively limited despite high PKK casualties, as majority of PKK forces however left the region before the offensive begun as they had noticed the military buildup on the border and were anticipating the offensive. By April 25, Turkey pulled out 20,000 of its 35,000 forces from Northern Iraq. After on May 3, the Kurdistan Democratic Party delegation to Turkey said they would stop PKK activities in Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkey withdrew its remaining forces on May 4. The military operation strained relations between Turkey and the United States and Europe as over 15,000 Iraqi Kurdish civilians were displaced by Turkish forces.^[1]

Casualties

More than 35,000 troops took part in the operation.^[2] Turkey announced fatalities at a total of 64 personnel made out of 4 commissioned officers, 5 noncommissioned officers and 55 soldiers. Turkey announced the injured at a total of 185 personnel made out of 13 commissioned officers 8 noncommissioned officers and 164 soldiers. Turkey announced the total number of militants neutralized at a total of 568 with 555 being killed and 13 being captured live or injured.^[4] The PKK claimed they killed 261 soldiers and only 18 of their fighters were killed during the operation.^[2]

See also

• Operation Hammer (1997)

References

v t e Kurdish–Turkish conflict Timeline Turkey State Government National Security Council Military Army Air Force Navy Gendarmerie Coast Guard Police MİT Village Guards Deep State Counter-Guerrilla Grey Wolves Turkish Revenge Brigade Susurluk scandal Ergenekon JİTEM Hizbullah Kurdish groups Insurgent KCK PKK History TAK KDP/N PŞK PJAK KKP PIK HİK KH (Hüda-Par) Allies DHKP/C TKP/ML & TİKKO DHP TDP ASALA (until late 1980s) Political HEP (1990–1993) DEP (1993–1994) HADEP (1994–2003) DEHAP (1997–2005) DTH (2005) DTP (2005–2009) BDP (2008–present) Hüda-Par (2012-present) The conflict 1974–1984 Political violence in Turkey, 1970s Maraş Massacre 1980 Turkish coup d'état 1984–1999 15 August 1984 PKK attacks Yeşilova incident Battle of Şırnak 1992 Taşdelen attack Battle of Kulp Operation Northern Iraq May 24, 1993 PKK ambush Başbağlar massacre Winter Campaign of 1994-1995 Operation Steel Operation Hawk Siege of Varto Sazak assault Operation Hammer Operation Dawn Operation Murat 1999 Istanbul bombings 1999–2004 2000 Turkish Hezbollah crackdown 2004–2012 2005 Kuşadası minibus bombing 2007 Ankara bombing October 2007 clashes in Hakkâri 3 January 2008 Diyarbakır bombing 2008 Turkish incursion into northern Iraq 2008 Istanbul bombings October 2008 Aktütün attack Reşadiye shooting İskenderun attack 2010 Hakkâri bus attack 2010 Istanbul bomb blast August 2011 Turkey-Iraq cross-border raids 2011 Hakkâri attack Uludere airstrike June-August 2012 Hakkari clashes 2012 Gaziantep bombing September 2012 Beytüşşebap attack 2013 United States embassy bombing in Ankara 2013– Solution process Protests Serhildan 1990 1991 1992 1999 2001 2005 2006 2008 2009 2011–2012 Kurdish leaders Insurgent Abdullah Öcalan Cemil Bayık Murat Karayılan Bahoz Erdal Mustafa Karasu Duran Kalkan Riza Altun Ali Haydar Kaytan Haji Ahmadi Murat Karasac Osman Öcalan Mahsum Korkmaz Şemdin Sakık Nizamettin Taş Kani Yılmaz Hüseyin Yıldırım Haki Karer Halil Atac Mazlum Doğan Kemal Pir Mehmet Baran Muhammad Mustafa Hüseyin Velioğlu Fidan Güngör Seyda Mele Abdullah Celal Başkale Political Ahmet Fehmi Işıklar Yaşar Kaya Leyla Zana Hatip Dicle Orhan Doğan Ahmet Türk Zübeyir Aydar Selim Sadak Murat Bozlak Tuncer Bakırhan Aysel Tuğluk Hüseyin Kalkan Selahattin Demirtaş Nurettin Demirtaş Orhan Miroğlu Ayla Akat Ata Gültan Kışanak Pervin Buldan Emine Ayna Sebahat Tuncel Kemal Burkay Sevahir Bayındır Orhan Miroğlu Fatma Kurtulan Osman Baydemir Nursel Aydoğan Sırrı Süreyya Önder İsa Altsoy Turkish leaders Military Kenan Evren Tahsin Şahinkaya Bülend Ulusu Nurettin Ersin Necdet Üruğ Necip Torumtay Eşref Bitlis Doğan Güreş İsmail Hakkı Karadayı Hüseyin Kıvrıkoğlu Hilmi Özkök İbrahim Fırtına Faruk Cömert Yaşar Büyükanıt Aydoğan Babaoğlu İlker Başbuğ Işık Koşaner Erdal Ceylanoğlu Necdet Özel Hayri Kıvrıkoğlu Political Turgut Özal Süleyman Demirel Bülent Ecevit Ali Bozer Yıldırım Akbulut Mesut Yılmaz Erdal İnönü Tansu Çiller Mesut Yılmaz Necmettin Erbakan Ahmet Necdet Sezer Abdullah Gül Recep Tayyip Erdoğan See also Media outlets MED TV (1990–2004) Roj TV (2004–present) TRT 6 (2009–present) Other Iraqi–Kurdish conflict Iranian–Kurdish conflict Kurdish rebellions Kurdish refugees Kurdish villages depopulated by Turkey Iraq Operations