Media Wire

Iraq raps sovereignty violation after Turkish raids in Kurdistan region

Turkey has carried out an "air operation" in northern Iraq following a blast in the Turkish capital. Iraqi President Abdul-Latif Rashid says Baghdad rejects repeated airstrikes or the presence of Turkish bases in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

Turkey announced on Sunday it carried out airstrikes in northern Iraq that destroyed 20 targets belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) after the militant group said it orchestrated the first bomb attack in Ankara in years.

Turkey regards the PKK as a terrorist group and regularly carries out airstrikes in northern Iraq. Turkey has also sent commandos and set up military bases on Iraqi territory to support its offensives.

“These violations are rejected by the Iraqi people, the (Kurdistan) region and all of Iraq’s inhabitants,” Rashid said in an interview with Saudi broadcaster al-Hadath, aired on Monday.

Such strikes sometimes killed civilians, including people visiting the region who “become victims of Turkish bombing”, he added.

Rashid stated Baghdad hoped to come to an agreement with Ankara to resolve the issue in a manner similar to a security agreement Baghdad has inked with Tehran to deal with anti-Iran separatist groups in the Kurdistan region.

Turkey’s airstrikes in northern Iraq took place just hours after a bombing attack on the Turkish interior ministry in Ankara.

They targeted caves, depots and bunkers used as hideouts by the PKK in the Hakurk, Metina, Qandil and Gara regions, Turkish officials said.

Iraq’s foreign ministry condemned the “terrorist explosion” in Ankara that happened shortly before parliament was due to reconvene after a summer break.

The PKK has carried out numerous operations against the Turkish government, calling for a Kurdish state within Turkey where it is blamed for the deaths of over 40,000 people.

The group back-pedaled on its secessionist demands in the 1990s, calling instead on Ankara to give the people in Kurdish-dominated regions of Turkey more autonomy.

The conflict between the two sides flared up again after a two-year-old ceasefire ended in July 2015.

IFP Media Wire

Reports and views published in the Media Wire section have been retrieved from other news agencies and websites, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Iran Front Page (IFP) news website. The IFP may change the headlines of the reports in a bid to make them compatible with its own style of covering Iran News, and does not make any changes to the content. The source and URL of all reports and news stories are mentioned at the bottom of each article.

Recent Posts

IRGC: US Iran’s main enemy, Israel can’t survive without its support

The spokesperson and deputy head of public relations for the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC)…

2 hours ago

Iran says increased number of its centrifuges in response to the IAEA resolution

The Atomic Energy Organization and the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that, in response to the…

2 hours ago

Iranian, Belarusian tourism ministers meet on facilitating tourist movement

Iran's Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts, Seyed Reza Salehi Amiri, met on Thursday…

5 hours ago

Unscheduled visit by Qatari prime minister to Tehran sparks speculation

Reports emerged by Iranian daily Donya-e Eqtesad suggest that the Qatari Prime Minister and Minister…

20 hours ago

ICC issues arrest warrant for Netanyahu, Gallant for ‘war crimes’ in Gaza

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,…

21 hours ago

Iran to respond to Europe’s “non-technical” move: Foreign Minister

As France, Germany, and the United Kingdom submit an anti-Iran draft resolution to the International…

21 hours ago