Turkey's Erdogan urges Iraq not to let its soil be launchpad for Kurdish militant attacks
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asks Iraq to prevent its soil from being used by militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as a launchpad for attacks against the Turkish soil.
Erdogan made the request following talks with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in Istanbul on Thursday.
He said the two sides viewed as their “common enemies,” the PKK that has been holing up in Iraq’s hard of approach Qandil mountains and reportedly striking the Turkish territory from there.
Tens of thousands have reportedly died throughout almost five decades of PKK’s efforts to forcibly win an independent state in southeastern Turkey.
The Turkish Air Force has been laying into the group’s hideouts across the border for years, something that has not gone down so well with Baghdad.
Erdogan told a joint televised news conference with Kadhimi that the two sides "agreed to continue our fight against our common enemies" including Daesh and PKK.
The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group has been eradicated in Iraq, but keeps staging sporadic attacks throughout the Arab country and elsewhere.
"Our region will not reach peace unless the head of terror is crushed," Erdogan said. "There is no place for terror in the future of Iraq, Turkey, and Syria,” the Turkish head of state added.
Despite declaring opposition to violence in Syria, Turkey has reportedly been providing safe passage to terrorists into and out of Syria and promoting militant outfits there.
Kadhimi, for his part, said his country would not allow any terror group to use Iraq’s soil for attacks inside Turkey, and that it was cooperating with Ankara to confront terrorist groups.
“Iraq has a clear stance in condemning any action threatening Turkey or using the Iraqi territory to threaten Turkey’s national security,” he said.
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