Photo: The Sun
Okt 2, 2023. Posted by Balkan Periscope - Hellas
Iraq
rejects repeated Turkish air strikes or the presence of Turkish bases in its
Kurdistan region and hopes to come to an agreement with Ankara to solve this
problem, Iraqi President Abdul-Latif Rashid said in comments aired on Monday.
Türkey said on Sunday it carried out air strikes 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.
Türkey regards the PKK as a terrorist group and regularly carries out air strikes in
northern Iraq, which has long been outside the direct control of the Baghdad
government.
Türkey has
also has 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 broadcaster
Al-Hadath, a short clip of which was aired on Monday.
It was not
clear whether the interview was filmed before or after Sunday's Turkish air
strikes.
Rashid said
such strikes sometimes killed civilians, including people visiting the region
who "become victims of Turkish bombing."
Türkey has
denied targeting civilians and says it works to avoid civilian casualties through
its coordination with Iraqi authorities.
Rashid is a
member of the Iraqi Kurdish PUK party that has close ties to Iran and has
criticized Türkiye’s strikes in Iraq's north.
Rashid said
Baghdad hoped to come to an agreement with Ankara to resolve the issue in a
manner similar to a security agreement Iraq has inked with Iran to deal with
Iranian Kurdish separatist groups in the Kurdistan region.
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