ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday summoned Turkey’s top diplomat in Baghdad after two days of Turkish airstrikes allegedly targeting Kurdish rebels in the Kurdistan Region and the disputed territories. Turkey’s ambassador to Baghdad, Fatih Yildiz, was given a formal memorandum, protesting what they call Turkish violations of Iraq’s “sanctity and sovereignty” and airspace, saying the airstrikes contravene international law, and principles of mutual respect, according to a ministry statement. Iranian artillery shells and Turkish airstrikes simultaneously pounded the Haji Omaran area on the Kurdistan Region's border with Iran on Tuesday, local officials told Rudaw. No casualties have yet been reported, according to the chieftain of the affected village of Alana. Tuesday's attacks come a day after Turkey announced the launch of Operation Claw-Eagle, targeting suspected Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) bases in Shingal in Nineveh province, and Makhmour, Qarachogh, Mount Qandil, Khuakurk, and Zap across the Kurdistan Region. PKK-linked Firat News Agency claimed the strikes targeted a refugee camp and a hospital. Several children in Makhmour refugee camp were left unconscious after a strike hit next to the camp, according to officials at the site. This is the second time Baghdad has summoned Yildiz in two months over Turkish strikes on Iraqi territory. "This invitation, like the previous ones, was a new occasion to emphasize that “we will continue to fight the PKK wherever it is, unless Iraq takes steps to end the PKK presence in its country,” tweeted Yildiz of the meeting Tuesday afternoon. Turkey regularly carries out airstrikes and ground operations against suspected PKK positions inside the Kurdistan Region. Currently based in the Qandil Mountains along the Turkey-Kurdistan Region-Iran border, the PKK is an armed group that fights for greater political rights for Kurds in Turkey. Decades of fighting with Turkey has led to the death 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. Although no casualties have been reported in this week’s strikes, civilians are routinely caught in the crossfire of the continuous conflict in the Kurdistan Region border areas. RELATED: Bombed by both neighbours: Kurdistan Region border areas deserted in fear
