BAGHDAD — Turkish airstrikes on the Iraqi governorates of Sinjar and Makhmour on Dec. 13 brought the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) back to the fore, raising questions about the future of relations in the region, especially if Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan carries out his threat to launch a ground incursion into Iraq to fight the PKK.

Ankara labels the PKK a “terrorist organization,” and, per an agreement signed under the regime of Saddam Hussein, is allowed to pursue the PKK within 40 kilometers into the Iraqi border.

Yet, every time Turkey carries out a military action in Iraq, the Iraqi government denounces it. On Dec. 14, the Iraqi government summoned the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad and handed him a letter of protest over “frequent violations” of Iraqi airspace.

Turkey’s airstrikes in northern Iraq coincided with Erdogan’s threat to launch an operation targeting the “Kurdish units” backed by Washington in northeastern Syria. Before this, Turkey announced Iran's approval of this move, suggesting either a deal between Iran, Russia and Turkey to share influence east of the Euphrates, or a Russian attempt to implicate Turkey in a deeper conflict with Washington.