Reacting to Ankara's Monday's military actions against Iraq's territorial integrity, the Kata'ib Hezbollah, part of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), said in a statement on Wednesday that the attacks have been made "under the pretext" of fighting against the Iraqi Workers Kurdistan Party (PKK) with the aim to dominate the country's energy sources.
On Monday, Turkey’s defense ministry announced that its army’s air and special forces started an operation, dubbed the Claw-Lock, in northern Iraq against hideouts of the PKK group.
“The clear violation of Iraq’s territorial integrity by the Turkish forces in northern parts of Iraq has taken place with the aim to take control over Iraq’s oil and gas [sources], dominate the Silk Road and change its route based on their [Ankara’s] sick ideas and for materializing the dream of [reviving] the Ottoman Sultan with the support of the Iraqi officials and the blessing of other hostile countries,” read the Kata’ib’s statement.
It added that violating Iraq’s territorial integrity “is a serious warning which requires a firm resistance by the loyal forces to the [Iraqi] government and also requires the country’s intelligence services and the Hashd al-Sha’abi (Iraq’s Popular Mobilization) forces to take a sensible position. It also needs activating Iraqi Resistance movement and increasing popular demand for putting pressure on Turkey’s interests and restricting its influence on Iraq.”
Turkish military operation in northern Iraq took place after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met on Friday with Prime Minister of Kurdistan Region of Iraq Masrour Barzani. The attacks also came despite serious opposition by the Iraqi political parties and its government which consider Turkey’s military presence in northern Iraq as an act of violence against the country’s territorial integrity.
Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Tuesday called on the Turkish Ambassador to Baghdad, Ali Riza Guney, to strongly condemn the Turkish operation in the northern parts of the country.
Baghdad also stressed that Ankara must withdraw its troops completely from the Iraqi territory to show respect for the country's sovereignty.
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