Turkey resolutely continues cross-border ops against terrorists in Iraq, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday after summoning the charge d'affaires at the Iraqi Embassy in Ankara.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hami Aksoy said the ministry summoned Issam Muhammed on Sunday. The ministry conveyed that Ankara found statements made by the Iraqi government on Saturday unacceptable due to claims that Turkey's cross-border operations against PKK terrorists in northern Iraq resulted in civilian casualties.
The ministry said that while a statement by the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) referred to PKK's operations in the region, the Iraqi government's statement did not even mention the terrorist group, contradicting recent apparent positive momentum in Turkey and Iraq's bilateral relations.
The ministry noted that Ankara values Iraq's sovereignty and for this very reason, it should not have terrorists on its soil. The ministry told Muhammed that Turkey's "operations will continue with determination."
On May 27, Turkey launched Operation Claw against the PKK in the Hakurk region of northern Iraq. Operation Claw aims to prevent the infiltration of PKK terrorists onto Turkish soil from Hakurk and to spoil the settlement plans of militants in the area. The ongoing offensive has neutralized at least 60 terrorists so far.
The Hakurk area facilitates terrorist crossings between Qandil and Iraq's Salahaddin province bordering Syria, where the PKK's Syrian offshoot, the People's Protection Units (YPG) control large swathes of territory.
Turkey had previously warned the KRG and the Iraqi government about eliminating the PKK presence within their borders to maintain Turkey's border security.
Despite top officials from both governments often expressing their discomfort with PKK camps and activities, saying they won't allow militants to attack Turkey from their soil, no serious action was taken.
With no concrete results from Iraq and the KRG efforts, Turkey took matters into its own hands, assuming a hard line against the PKK presence in northern Iraq. Last year, security forces crossed 30 kilometers into northern Iraq. They neutralized at least 200 terrorists in operations against PKK targets.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of some 40,000 people, including women and children.
