KRG Peshmerga Ministry calls on Baghdad to stop Turkish military operations

"We are also warning the PKK to respect the sovereignty of the Kurdistan Regional Government and its territory."
Mask-clad Peshmerga fighters stand during a military event in Erbil, Nov. 10, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Safin Hamed)
Mask-clad Peshmerga fighters stand during a military event in Erbil, Nov. 10, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Safin Hamed)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The Kurdistan Region Ministry of Peshmerga on Saturday in a statement called on the Iraqi government to put an end to ongoing Turkish military operations in the Region.

“The Ministry of Peshmerga is demanding immediate action from the Iraqi Federal Government to put an end to ongoing Turkish military operations in the Kurdistan Region,” it said.

“We are also warning the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) to respect the sovereignty of the Kurdistan Regional Government and its territory, and demand they take their fight somewhere else, away from Kurdish homes and the Kurdistan Region.”

The ministry said earlier in the day that PKK members killed five Peshmerga soldiers and injured seven more in rural Duhok province.

Read More: PKK rocket attack in Duhok kills 5 Peshmerga, injures 4

“The Ministry of Peshmerga strongly condemns this attack by the PKK and is warning that there is no tolerance for such acts in the Kurdistan Region. At present, the main objectives of the Peshmerga Forces are to ensure the security of the Kurdistan Region and eliminate ISIS terrorist threats.”

The Ministry of Peshmerga said the “attack was unprovoked as the Peshmerga convoy was simply conducting a routine security check in the area.”

The armed wing of the PKK, however, said in a statement that it “couldn’t be determined whether the cause is a landmine explosion or an aerial attack.”

The Ministry of Peshmerga said the Peshmerga convoy “was within the mandate and responsibilities of the Peshmerga Forces, who can take any necessary measures, anywhere in the Kurdistan Region, to preserve its peace and stability.”

Peace talks between Turkey and the PKK broke down in July 2015 and resulted in a more militaristic policy from the Turkish government.

Since then there has been heavy fighting between both sides

In May, Turkey launched a new round of airstrikes and a ground operation – dubbed Claw-Lightning and Claw-Thunderbolt – against its decades-old archenemy, the PKK

The main battlefield for the renewed war is the border areas of the Kurdistan Region, which has resulted in the evacuation of several villages.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has repeatedly asked the warring sides to avoid conflict in the Kurdistan Region.

Editing by Khrush Najari