Senior MP Slams Turkey for Violating Iraq’s Territorial Integrity

Haneen al-Qadou, an Iraqi lawmaker, blasted Turkey for violating Iraq’s territorial integrity on the pretext of striking the Kurdish fighters’ positions in the Northern parts of the Arab country.

“The war between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is inflicting heavy losses on Iraq,” Qadou told FNA on Wednesday.

He reiterated that the Turkish attacks on PKK positions are regarded as violation of Iraq’s sovereignty specially because these attacks are carried out without coordination with the Baghdad government.

“The Iraqi Kurdistan Regional government will also suffer from Turkey’s military operations in Northern Iraq, specially because most of the Kurdish parties support the PKK’s activities,” he said.

On Sunday, the Turkish military announced that 41 PKK fighters were killed in Turkish air force and army’s operations on their gathering centers in Northern Iraq.

“29 members of the PKK were killed in the Turkish fighter jets’ bombings in Qandil Mountains in Northern Iraq,” said the Turkish army, adding, “The army carried out a military operation in Uldira area in the province of Sirnak Southeast Turkey, killing 12 element of the PKK.”

On Friday People’s Democratic Party (HDP) investigations revealed that the recent violent clashes between the PKK and the Turkish army has so far left 200 people dead and 500 more injured.

In a press conference in Diyarbakir, the scene of recent confrontations, an HDP delegation claimed that scores of civilians have been killed since the breakdown of the ceasefire late July.