Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi on Monday rebuked the Turkish government for violating Iraqi territory under excuse of fight against terrorism without permission from Baghdad government.
Speaking at his weekly press briefing, Bahram Qassemi responded to a question about violation of the Iraqi territory by the Turkish government under the excuse of taking part in military operation to liberate Mosul, Iraq.
Any cooperation on international campaign against terrorism should be in line with approval of the Iraqi government and all governments and nations should observe the decisions of the Iraqi government and respect the Iraqi sovereignty, he said.
Iran’s stand on Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity is crystal clear and Iran made clear repetitively that Mosul is integral and important part of Iraq.’
It’s a long time that Mosul is under occupation by Islamic State militants and Iran hopes that thanks to the resolve of the Iraqi government and nation, strong military operation will be conducted to liberate Mosul at the earliest, he said.
No country is authorized to intervene in Iraq under any excuses without permission of the Iraqi government, he said.
Iraqi prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declined on Oct. 22 an offer from Turkey to take part in the battle to dislodge Islamic State from Mosul after meeting U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter in Baghdad Saturday.
The Turkish troop presence in Iraq’s Bashiqa, northeast of Mosul has stirred tension with Baghdad. Iraq says they are in “blatant violation” of Iraqi sovereignty and had demanded their withdrawal. Turkey says the troops were invited by Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani and has ignored the calls.
There are 800 Turkish troops deployed in the Mosul and Shaqlawa regions, the move that sparked a crisis between Ankara and Baghdad. Turkey sent a contingent of an additional 150 forces and 25 tanks in December 2015 to bolster its military presence in the Bashiqa camp, an area that has seen recent fighting.
Iraqi leaders said in December 2015 that hundreds of new Turkish troops had arrived without their knowledge or approval, calling it a violation of its sovereignty.
On October 18, thousands of Iraqis gathered outside the Turkish embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday to protest that country‘s continued military presence north of Mosul, despite demands by the government for Ankara‘s soldiers to leave.
A senior Kurdish commander rejected on Sunday the claims by Ankara officials that the Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces have requested help from Turkey for the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group in northern Iraq.
ekurd.net/
