Turkey launches war game a week before Kurdish referendum

The Turkish army embarked on a large scale military exercise on the Turkish-North Iraqi border, a week before the semi-autonomous Kurdish republic of Iraq (KRG) holds its independence referendum. DEBKAfile reports, however, that the Turkish army is actually in position to invade the northern Syrian province of Idlib, rather than Iraqi Kurdistan. This follows a deal between Russia, Turkey and Iran to rid Idlib of the Islamist militias concentrated there. Around 100 armored vehicles, including tanks and Howitzers, are concentrated in the Silopi region. By pretending the exercise is connected to the Kurdish referendum on Sept. 25, the Turks are drawing attention from their real target, but their presence in Silopi is a giveaway.