Manama: The UAE on Wednesday condemned the Turkish and Iranian military interventions in Iraq, accused that it violated the sovereignty of a sisterly Arab country.
“UAE denounced the Turkish and Iranian military interventions in brotherly Iraq, through their bombing of areas in northern Iraq, which constituted a violation of the sovereignty of a sisterly Arab country and led to intimidation and the spread of terror among innocent civilians,” a foreign ministry statement said.
It emphasized the country’s unwavering rejection of all forms of interference in the affairs of Arab countries. The statement further stressed its keenness to respect the sovereignty of Iraq and cease all acts that may threaten the peace and security of the region.
Turkish warplanes had struck Kurdish forces in northern Iraq’s Haftanin region on early Wednesday. It was the second strike against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq in the span of three days.
Iran has joined Turkey in carrying out airstrikes against Iraqi territories in the northern Kurdistan Region, pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat reported on Wednesday.
Security sources said Iranian forces shelled Kurdish positions near the border regions, wounding several farmers.
Turkey has launched a major military operation against Kurdish militants over the border in northern Iraq. Special forces were deployed overland to the border region of Haftanin in the early hours of Wednesday for Operation Claw-Tiger. The campaign targeted 150 suspected Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK) positions and was supported by jets, helicopters, drones and artillery, the Turkish defence ministry said.
Citing a Defence Ministry’s tweet, Asharq al-Awsat reported that Ankara carried out more attacks on Wednesday as its warplanes bombed Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq’s Haftanin region.
The attack follows Operation Claw-Eagle on early Monday, where the Turkish war planes bombed 81 suspected PKK targets across the region, including in the Yazidi homeland of Sinjar and the Qandil mountains, the traditional PKK stronghold, the report added.
The two latest airstrikes come amid what Ankara alleges is an increase in militant attacks on Turkish army bases.
Quoting Kurdish sources, the daily said Turkey has cooperated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps in striking the region. The Rudaw news agency reported that strikes targeted the heights of Baraskan in the village of Alana. No casualties were reported.
Tehran has vindicated its attacks against Kurdish regions saying that it was targeting the Iranian Kurdish opposition that operates within Iraqi territories.
The joint operations command in Iraq deplored Turkey’s violations earlier this week, saying such acts are a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty, good neighborliness and international agreements.
A Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leader, Rashad Galali, described Turkey’s repeated attacks on Iraqi territory as shameful that have been met with no deterrent response from the federal government.
The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in the 1980s to fight for an independent Kurdish nation. Later, the group revised that goal in favour of a commitment to Kurdish rights and autonomy, a Guardian report said.
