ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s Foreign Ministry summoned Turkey’s ambassador to Baghdad on Sunday to demand an end to “unilateral” actions in Iraqi territory.
"The Foreign Ministry summoned Turkish Ambassador Fatih Yildiz and lodged a letter of protest addressing what caused injury and damage to Iraqi citizens in Shiladze region, Amedi district," read a vague statement from the ministry on Sunday.
Two locals from Shiladze, Duhok province were killed and 15 wounded during a protest on Saturday against Turkish airstrikes targeting alleged PKK positions in the Kurdistan Region. Six civilians were killed in these airstrikes last week, sparking the protests that boiled over into a storming of a Turkish military base.
The ministry “demanded” Turkey end its “unilateral actions” in Iraqi territory. It said that “such actions violate [our] sovereignty and are incompatible with friendly and brotherly relations between both countries."
In an earlier statement announcing its intention to summon the ambassador, the ministry said that the job of ensuring the security of the people of Iraq “lies primarily with the responsibilities of the Iraqi government.”
The PKK has its headquarters in Kurdistan Region’s Qandil mountains. Local Kurdish villagers and shepherds are frequently the victims of the conflict between the Turkish state and the PKK.
The protesters on Saturday demanded Turkey and the PKK take their fight off their lands.
Turkey’s Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said they would remain undeterred in their mission against the PKK, despite Baghdad’s objections and the protests.
Iraq’s Foreign Ministry said it reassured the ambassador they will not permit any group to use Iraqi territory to harm the security of their neighbours.