Iraq summoned the Turkish ambassador to it, Ali Reza Konay, against the backdrop of the recent large-scale military operation taking place inside its territory in the Kurdistan region in the north of the country.
The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said - in a press statement published on its Facebook page today, Tuesday - that it had handed the Turkish ambassador a strongly worded protest note, calling for an end to such provocative acts and unacceptable violations, and indicated that Iraq has the legal right to take the necessary and appropriate measures in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the rules of international law regarding such hostile and unilateral acts, as they take place without coordination with the Iraqi government.”
She pointed out that "the presence of most elements of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq came as a result of an agreement between the Turkish government and the aforementioned party, in conjunction with Iraq's rejection and protest of what we see as the export of an internal Turkish challenge to the territory of Iraq."
Al-Sahaf saw that the Turkish military operation violates the principle of good neighborliness between the two countries (Al-Jazeera)
Before that, the official spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Al-Sahaf, said - in a press statement - that "Iraq considers this act a violation of its sovereignty, the sanctity of the country, and an act that violates international charters and laws that regulate relations between countries, and also violates the principle of good neighborliness, which should be a reason for Ensure that joint security work is carried out for the benefit of both sides.
Al-Sahhaf affirmed the Iraqi government's position that the territory of Iraq should not be a seat or a corridor for harming and harming any of the neighboring countries.
For its part, the Iraqi presidency expressed today, Tuesday, its deep concern about the ongoing Turkish military operations inside the Iraqi borders in the Kurdistan region, describing them as a "violation of Iraqi sovereignty and a threat to Iraqi national security."
A presidential spokesman said, in a statement, that "the repetition of Turkish military operations inside the Iraqi borders in the Kurdistan region, and without coordination with the Iraqi government, despite previous calls to stop them and hold talks and coordination around them, is unacceptable."
For his part, the leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr - at dawn today, Tuesday - criticized the Turkish military operation, and said in a tweet to him on his personal account on Twitter: "Neighbour, Turkey, bombed Iraqi lands unjustly and without pretext, and it had to coordinate with the Iraqi government to end the danger that invaded it from Iraqi territory, and the Iraqi security forces are capable of that."
Al-Sadr added: "We will not be silent. We will not accept aggression and destabilization of security from Iraqi territory, and we will not accept aggression against neighboring countries."
pic.twitter.com/UpbSlbU9WC
— Muqtada al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Sadr (@Mu_AlSadr) April 18, 2022
Akar (center) said that the aim of the operation was to neutralize what he described as terrorists who carry out attacks on his country (Anatolia).
Turkish position
On the other hand, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that the military operation "Lock the Claw" launched by the Turkish forces last Sunday evening on targets of the Kurdistan Workers' Party in northern Iraq, aims to fight what he described as terrorists.
Akar added that the Turkish forces carried out this operation in a manner that respects the territorial integrity of Iraq's sovereignty, noting that the aim of the operation is to neutralize those he described as terrorists who carry out attacks on his country.
He stressed that his country shows great sensitivity not to harm in any way civilians, the environment, and cultural and religious monuments, during the planning of this military operation.
The #Turkish Armed Forces have launched a new operation called 'Claw Lock' against #Kurdish #PKK forces in #Iraq pic.twitter.com/cEOVhKz63t
— Middle East Update (@islamicworldupd) April 19, 2022
Yesterday, Monday, Turkey announced that it launched a new air and ground attack on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters in the strong areas of Zab, Afashin and Bassian in northern Iraq, with the participation of special forces backed by helicopters and drones.
#Turkey🇹🇷..Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar: We have taken control of all the planned targets within the framework of Operation "Claw Lock" https://t.co/3frw3QNdrg pic.twitter.com/bL6jUJLsZG
— ANADOLU AGENCY (EN) (@aa_arabic) April 18, 2022
The PKK, which Ankara and its Western allies classify as a "terrorist" organization, has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984.