ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – UN officials have voiced concern that Iraq has not raised the issue of Turkish airstrikes with the UN Security Council.
"On the Turkish-Iraqi conflict, we see this with concern. There has not been a demand for this item to be on the agenda of the security council," Christoph Heusgen, German Ambassador to the United Nations, told Rudaw.
Turkey began fresh air and ground military operations in the Kurdistan Region and disputed territories in mid-June, with the stated aim of removing suspected Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) targets from the area. Five civilians have been confirmed killed by Turkish airstrikes.
According to information obtained by Rudaw's Majeed Gly, Iraq has just sent one letter to the security council since the start of the operations, which only detailed the time and places of the Turkey's bombardments.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, has called for de-escalation in the border areas and affirmed “support” for Iraq’s sovereignty.
"We have always been very supportive of the territorial integrity of Iraq," Dujarric said.
In a question from Gly last week, Guteres was not ready to declare his position on the Turkish operation.
Iraq’s foreign ministry has previously summoned the Turkish ambassador to Baghdad but this has failed to halt Turkey's offensive.
The US State Department last week called for coordination between Turkey, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to “defeat” the PKK, an armed group fighting for greater rights for Kurds in Turkey.
"The United States calls on Turkey and Iraq, including the KRG, to work together to defeat the PKK," a spokesperson told Rudaw late Wednesday.
According to intelligence information obtained by Rudaw, from 1983 to mid-June 2020, Turkey has established military bases in 24 strategic locations in Duhok province.
