Turkish military operations inside the Kurdistan Region spark wide condemnation in Iraq

The military operations carried out by the Turkish army on the territory of the Kurdistan Region faced wide condemnations from Iraqi officials and political circles, as they were considered a violation of Iraq's sovereignty and the sanctity of its lands.

The Turkish army launched a new military operation inside the Kurdistan Region on Monday.  The operation is focused on the Kurdistan Region's Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry. Alongside the air operation, commandos and special forces also participated, both by land and air.

Iraqi Presidency Office: Turkish operations are a threat to Iraqi national security

The spokesperson for the Iraqi President Barham Salih condemned the Turkish aggression in a statement that said:

"We are following with great concern Turkey's military incursion into Iraq's Kurdistan Region, and it is, therefore, a breach of Iraqi sovereignty and a threat to its national security.

Repeating the Turkish military incursion into the Iraqi frontier in the Kurdistan Region without having coordination with the Iraqi Federal Government is unacceptable, despite the previous calls by Iraq for ceasing the military action into its territories and for holding negotiations, dialogue, and coordination.

We emphasize the importance of enhancing relations with Turkey based on mutual interests and where security files could be resolved through further cooperation and coordination while strongly reaffirming that unilateral security practices to address lingering security issues are unacceptable, and the sovereignty of the Iraqi state must be respected.

Iraqi State in its foreign relations adopts a policy that rejects any steps by any country to settle scores on Iraq's soil or turn it into a battleground for other countries as it rejects any action threatening its sovereignty, security, and domestic peace.

As we do believe, Iraqi territories should don't be used as a staging post for any hostile action against any of our neighbors."

Sadr warns Turkey

The leader of Iraq's Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, confirmed that the Turkish bombing of the Kurdistan Region is not justified, stressing that Iraq is a fully sovereign country.

"Neighboring Turkey has bombed Iraqi lands unjustly and without pretext... and if there is a threatening danger from Iraqi lands, it must coordinate with the Iraqi government to end the danger, for the Iraqi security forces are capable of that," Sadr said in a tweet.

"If this is repeated, we will not remain silent, because Iraq is a fully sovereign country."

Hakim calls on Turkey to respect Iraq's sovereignty

Ammar al-Hakim, head of Iraq's National Wisdom Movement, condemned the Turkish bombing of the Kurdistan Region, calling on the federal government to maintain the security of the border with Turkey.

"The Turkish bombardment and the Turkish military incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan is unacceptable," Hakim said in a tweet, adding "We are calling on the Iraqi government to maintain the security of the borders and prevent any party from using Iraqi lands as a launching pad to carry out attacks against neighboring countries. We also call on these countries to respect Iraq's sovereignty and not to carry out military operations inside its territory."

Abadi: Turkey's violation of Iraqi sovereignty is a serious matter

The head of Iraq's Victory Coalition, Haider al-Abadi, considered Turkey's continued violation of Iraqi sovereignty as a dangerous matter that leads to unknown extents.

"Turkey's continued violation of Iraq's sovereignty is a serious matter and leads the inter-relations to unknown extents," Abadi said in a tweet, adding that he "is surprised by the suspicious silence over these violations... these stances raise questions about the state and political forces' responsibility to preserve the country and its sovereignty."

"We advise Turkey to respect neighbors and other countries and to reconsider its policies toward Iraq," he added.

Samarrai: Turkey does not consider the concept of good neighborliness

The head of Iraq's Azim Alliance, Muthanna al-Samarrai, denounced the new Turkish military operation inside the territory of the Kurdistan Region while stressing that it does not consider the principle of good neighborliness.

"We condemn the Turkish military operation, which violates the sovereignty of Iraq, and does not consider the concept of good neighborliness or international laws and covenants," Samarrai said in a tweet.

"We refuse the use of our lands as an arena for settling disputes that don't concern us, and at the same time, we reject using Iraq as headquarters or a corridor for any aggressive action targeting our neighbors," he added.

Iraq's Foreign Ministry: Turkish operations in Kurdistan are a violation of Iraq's sovereignty

The spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed al-Sahaf, confirmed that the Iraqi government rejects the Turkish military operation inside the territory of the Kurdistan Region.

"The government of the Republic of Iraq categorically rejects, and strongly condemns the military operations carried out by the Turkish forces by bombing Iraqi lands in the Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan areas in the Kurdistan Region by Atak helicopters and drones," Sahaf said in a statement.

"Iraq considers this action a violation of its sovereignty and the sanctity of the country, as well as a violation of international covenants and laws that regulate relations between countries. It also violates the principle of good-neighborliness," he added.

Sahaf also pointed out that the Iraqi government emphasizes that Iraq's territory should not be a center for harming any of the neighboring countries, and it also refuses to be an arena for conflicts and settling accounts for other external parties.

MP: Iraqi Parliament should have a stance on Turkey's operation

The Iraqi parliament should take a stand on Turkey's operations in the Kurdistan Region and send the fact-finding committee to the border areas and the Iraqi government should take practical steps, the decision-maker of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc in the Iraqi parliament said on Monday.

"The Turkish army is bombing with planes and artillery during the cold season, and in the hot season it carries out large-scale military operations on the territory of the Kurdistan Region and clearly violates Iraq's sovereignty," said Karwan Yarwais, the decision-maker of the PUK bloc.

He also said: "Every time the Turkish army carries out operations, under the pretext of attacking the guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), it causes damage to the lives and homes of villagers and residents of the border areas." 

MP: Silence over the Turkish shelling is shameful

Silence of the Iraqi and the Kurdistan Regional governments over the Turkish shelling is shameful, MP of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc in the Iraqi Parliament said on Monday.

"Silence over the continuous Turkish bombing, which affects various parts within the Kurdistan Region every now and then is another shame for the central and the regional governments," MP Briar Rashid told PUKmedia, adding that "All Iraqi political parties must take a serious and firm stance on this issue as soon as possible. "

"We all heard what the Turkish defense minister said on what he called as an (effective contribution by Turkey's partners in the Kurdistan region and his appreciation for efforts taken for the success of the military operations)!" He said, noting that "everyone knows that the partners mentioned by the Turkish minister, are the same partners who fight for positions in Baghdad under a shiny name like (Save the Homeland)... It is they who facilitate the violation of national sovereignty for the aggressing countries and work day and night to achieve those countries' agendas which aim to destroy the homeland and its dignity and the dignity of its citizens."

The Turkish forces continue their security operations in the areas of the Kurdistan Region, despite official appeals from Baghdad to Ankara to stop its aggression.

Turkey has carried out cross-border offensives of varying magnitude allegedly against the PKK for decades. However, in recent years, it's begun to establish more of a sustained presence in a growing number of bases and checkpoints dotting the mountains of the Kurdistan Region despite calls from Iraqi authorities to stop these actions. 

Thousands of acres of land have been burnt and many villages have been evacuated due to Turkish bombings, and even civilian casualties have fallen due to the continuous Turkish operations in the Kurdistan Region.  

According to Al-Monitor, Arzu Yilmaz, a Middle East scholar and visiting fellow at Hamburg University reckons that there are more than 5,000 Turkish forces currently deployed in the Kurdistan Region and Bashiqa, an area under Iraqi central government control lying east of Mosul. 



PUKmedia