Turkish military operations into northern Iraq provoke Baghdad
On July 10th, Iraqi authorities condemned continued Turkish military operations and “incursions” into the northern Kurdistan region according to the New Arab and agencies. Baghdad renewed calls to Ankara to address security issues through diplomatic dialogue.
The Turkish army has been conducting targeted strikes on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), registered as a “terrorist group” by Ankara and several Western allies.
Iraqi officials discussed “the issue of interventions and violations by Turkish forces in the shared border areas” in a National Security Council meeting, according to a statement made by General Yehia Rasool. The meeting was chaired by Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
The council rejected “Turkish military incursions” into Iraq and strongly advised Ankara to “diplomatically engage with the Iraqi government for any security-related matters”.
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A delegation is expected to travel to the Kurdistan region, led by the National Security Advisor, to “assess the general situation and develop a unified stance on this matter.”
Turkey operates several dozen military bases in Northern Iraq, from where the nation has been fighting the PKK insurgency since 1984, with several ceasefires in 1993 and between 2013 – 2015.
Turkish military presence deep within Iraqi territory has led to strained bilateral ties between the two countries.
As of recently, Turkish strikes have increased, resulting in several fires in areas by the border, according to Iraqi local media. Other agencies have reported that Turkish forces are establishing new positions.
Community Peacemakers Teams (CPT), a US-based NGO that monitors Turkish operations in northern Iraq, found that the Turkish military “have advanced 15 kilometres into Iraqi Kurdistan territory”.
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Turkish Defence Minister Yasar Guler stated in an interview earlier this week that the nation was “determined” to clear the borders areas neighbouring Iraq and Syria of “terrorists”.
Baghdad quietly listed the PKK as a “banned organisation” following a visit made by senior Turkish officials to Iraq in March. Ankara has urged the Iraqi government to take more action to eliminate the military group. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated his “expectations” of Iraq in its fight against the PKK, to which Sudani stated his assurances of establishing “bilateral security coordination” to meet the needs of both countries.
In March, however, Iraqi Defence Minister Thabet al-Abbasi ruled out the possibility of “joint military operations” between Baghdad and Ankara.
The New Arab / AFP and agencies
