Iraq Rejects Turkish Strikes on Kurdistan

Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid confirmed in a television interview that Iraq does not accept repeated Turkish strikes or the presence of Turkish military bases in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, expressing hope for an agreement with Turkey to resolve these issues. Rashid stated, "It is essential for Turkey to consider Iraq's situation," noting that "its violations lead to the killing of civilians." He pointed out that "Turkish violations occur in the Kurdistan region throughout the day, including warplanes, drones, and Turkish military bases, which we do not accept." He added, "We are working to reach an agreement with Turkey to resolve issues, just as we did with Iran," referring to a security agreement between Iraq and Iran to deal with Iranian Kurdish separatist groups in Kurdistan. It remains unclear whether the interview was conducted before or after Turkey's latest strikes in northern Iraq. On Sunday, Turkey announced that it had carried out aerial strikes in northern Iraq, resulting in the destruction of 20 targets belonging to the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), just hours after the group claimed responsibility for the first bombing in the Turkish capital Ankara in years.