While the US urges both Iran and Turkey to respect Iraq’s sovereignty, it only encourages the latter to coordinate with the governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to defeat militants operating in the area.
“We recognize the legitimate security threat the [Kurdistan Workers' Party] PKK poses to Turkey and we urge Turkey to pursue joint counterterrorism cooperation with Iraq in a way that supports Iraqi sovereignty,” a spokesperson told Rudaw Wednesday over email.
Saying the US is aware of reports of Iranian airstrikes in the Kurdistan Region and is closely monitoring the situation, the spokesperson added: “Iran must respect Iraq's sovereignty, end its interference in Iraq's internal matters, and refrain from destabilizing behavior.”
Turkey began sustained air and ground military operations in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq's disputed territories in mid-June, with the stated aim of removing suspected PKK targets from the area. Five civilians have been killed in the operations.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) also launched airstrikes in coordination with Turkey in the Kurdistan Region last month, shelling the Haji Omaran area, which borders Iran. Media outlets close to the the IRGC said Turkey and Iran agreed to jointly fight what they called Kurdistan Region-based cross-border "terrorism".
“The United States is prepared to facilitate and support a coordinated approach on this issue, as we continue to believe sustainable security solutions can only be achieved through cooperation,” added the spokesperson, which stressed the importance of coordination between all parties additionally working to counter the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
“Ultimately, areas like Sinjar [Shingal] need to come under the full control of the federal government and its security forces, in coordination with the KRG, so that the PKK and other militias and groups cannot promote their own agendas. This instability is keeping hundreds of thousands of ISIS genocide victims from returning home.”
Currently based in the Qandil Mountains along the Turkey-Kurdistan Region-Iran borders, the PKK is an armed group that fights for greater political and cultural rights for Kurds in Turkey. Decades of fighting with Turkey has led to the death of tens of thousands, including civilians.
Both Erbil and Baghdad have repeatedly called on Ankara to halt its attacks, and have demanded the PKK withdraw from their territory.
Meanwhile, various Kurdish groups are present in the mountainous border area between Iran and the Kurdistan Region. Sporadic attacks are launched each year against various Iranian forces, including the IRGC.
Seventeen people were killed in an IRGC strike in Koya in 2018.
