Iraq gives big no to Turkish military operation within its borders

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari has conveyed his country's strong opposition to a Turkish military operation against any group on its territory, following threats from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that they may attack Kurdish armed groups based in the country.

"While we give importance to the strategic and deep Iraqi-Turkish relations, we categorically reject Turkish violations of Iraqi borders," Jaafari told Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yildiz after a meeting in Baghdad on Tuesday, according to an Iraqi statement.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), named a terrorist organization by Ankara, has its headquarters in the Kurdistan Region and bases on the border with Turkey.

Jaafari also reassured Yildiz that Iraq refuses to allow any group to use its territory to attack a neighbouring country.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately comment on the meeting, but published a statement on Tuesday denying what it called false media reports quoting Yildiz saying that Ankara has begun a military operation against "terrorist pockets" on its borders with Iraq in cooperation with Baghdad.

The Turkish military and its Syrian proxies took control of the Kurdish city of Afrin in Syrian Kurdistan over the weekend. President Erdogan on Monday warned Iraq to "solve" the PKK presence in Qandil, and Shingal – two places where the Kurdish armed group is stationed – or Ankara will take matters into its own hands and extend its Afrin operation across Iraq’s borders.

"We told the Iraqi government that they were trying to form another Qandil in Sinjar [Shingal]. If you do not solve it we can enter Sinjar and clean it up there," Erdogan warned.