Turkish attacks on Kurds upends peace process

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s unexpected move to launch raids against Kurdish rebels at the same time it is cracking down on the Islamic State group risks ending a period of relative calm and stability for the country that has been a boon for the economy.

The peace process launched in 2012 with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has been one of the signature achievements of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ending decades of violence that killed thousands. But the respite came to a sudden end in recent days as the Kurdish rebel group claimed responsibility for the killing of two Turkish policemen, and Turkish jets slammed a Kurdish stronghold in northern Iraq.