ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraqi President Fuad Masum says his country is fearful of an Afrin operation being repeated in Shingal, and the Turkish military needs to withdraw from Bashiqa now that the war on ISIS has come to an end.
Masum, a Kurd, was asked in an interview with the UK-based Al Hayat newspaper whether Iraq is fearful of repeating Afrin’s scenario in Shingal.
“This is our fear, but we hope they do not take such a step as long as PKK is getting ready to withdraw to other areas,” Masum responded.
The Iraqi government made a deal in March for foreign PKK to leave Shingal and its affiliated local groups to be absorbed into the Iraqi security apparatus. During parts of the ISIS conflict, the PKK was paid by Baghdad.
“After the withdrawal of PKK, foreign forces cannot come and invade a part of Iraq,” Masum said, adding that although PKK has already decided to withdraw from Shingal, threats are still incoming.
The Turkish military its proxy fighters took control of the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in March after a nearly two-month assault under the stated aim of fighting “terrorism” along its border. Locals have claimed de-Kurdification and forced displacement. More than 300 civilians were killed in the operation, according to a conflict monitory.
The Turkish president has threatened to go to Shingal — a disputed area in the northwest of Nineveh province, claimed by both the Iraqi federal and Kurdistan regional governments. The area, the historical homeland of the Yezidis, continues to be highly militarized with hundreds of thousands of its people still living in camps in the Kurdistan Region.
The Turkish president Erdogan said earlier this week that they “do not ask for permission from anyone” and when terrorists are hiding “we are chasing them down,” claiming that the PKK left Turkey and spread into Syria and Iraq.
The Iraqi president hopes that things will not reach the stage of clashes between Iraqi forces and the Turkish Army.
“I do not believe [that there will be confrontations]. There are agreements between Baghdad and Ankara to diffuse such tensions. Our policy is against the occupation any part of the country and there is no agreement with Turkey,” said Masum
The president called on the Turkish military to leave Bashiqa, a city about 20 kilometers northeast of Mosul, saying that the war against ISIS has ended and there is no need for foreign forces on the ground in Iraq anymore.
The president said Turkey is unilaterally implementing an outdated agreement with the Saddam regime to justify their presence on Iraqi land.
The president also touched on a number of other topics, most notably Iraq-Kurdistan Region relations and Baghdad’s relations with Saudi Arabia and Iran.
“Relations have reverted to normal and there is dialogue between them [Baghdad and Erbil]. Both sides need each other. The Region cannot let go of the federal government, nor can the latter let go of the Region. Both are in one state and all interests are intertwined between them,” the president added.
The president described that Iraqi relations with Riyadh and Tehran are “excellent,” saying they prefer good relations with everyone and that they refuse to be vassals.
“Iraq is a powerful state that views everyone with Iraqi eyes through our interests,” the president added.
Turkey escalated strikes against alleged PKK positions in the northern parts of the Kurdistan Region in March, killing four young men during the Kurdish Newroz holiday.
Masum’s party is the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). They are seeking to restore relations with Ankara after the PKK detained two Turkish MIT agents in the PUK powerbase of Sulaimani in August. Turkey responded by expelling the PUK’s representative. The PUK’s late founder Jalal Talabani, known for his negotiating, once engineered a short-lived deal between the PKK and Turkey.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi "rejected any violation by Turkey" on Iraqi territory during a telephone call on March 26 with Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim that focused on the PKK in Iraq.
Relevant analysis: Coordinated Iraqi-Turkish action against PKK unlikely
