Baghdad denounces “renewed Turkish military operations” in northern Iraq and calls on Ankara for “diplomatic cooperation”

On Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani chaired a meeting of the Ministerial Council for National Security, during which the attendees discussed “the issue of interventions and violations practiced by Turkish forces in the common border areas,” according to an official statement.

Major General Yahya Rasool Abdullah, spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, said in the statement that “during the meeting, the rejection of the Turkish military incursion and encroachment on Iraqi territory was emphasized, and that Turkey must observe the principles of good neighborliness and deal diplomatically with the Iraqi government and coordinate with it regarding any issue related to the security aspect.”

According to the statement, “a delegation headed by the National Security Advisor will head to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to review the general situation and come up with a unified position on this issue that affects Iraqi sovereignty.”

Over the past 25 years, Turkey has established dozens of military bases in Iraqi Kurdistan to “fight the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which has rear bases in the region,” and which Ankara classifies as a “terrorist” group.

The Turkish army repeatedly announces “carrying out military operations once morest PKK fighters in northern Iraq,” which has prompted the Iraqi government to repeatedly protest once morest these operations.

Turkish attacks have escalated in recent weeks, with Iraqi media reporting an increase in Turkish strikes that have caused fires in border areas and reports of “Turkish forces establishing new positions in the region.”

After a visit by Turkish officials to Iraq last March, Baghdad classified the Kurdistan Workers’ Party as a “banned organization” in response to Ankara’s demands to “play a greater role in combating this movement.”

The parliamentary bloc of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan objected in a statement to “the resumption of Turkish operations inside the region’s territory,” referring to “the damage caused to agricultural lands and citizens’ property.”

Source: “France 24”