Iraq asks US for help to stop Turkish attacks on its soil

Duvar English

Speaking during his first meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said that Iraq was in discussions with Turkey over what he called its "unacceptable" involvement in northern Iraq.

Iraq's constitution explicitly banned use of its territory to attack any neighboring country, he said on Aug. 20.

“The Turkish attacks are not accepted. On the other hand, the Iraqi constitution also does not allow Iraq to be — to become used to attack any neighboring country. We are entering dialogue with Turkey to rectify this situation. And I look forward to solving this problem with Turkey and getting our neighbors, the Turks, to understand Iraq’s circumstances,” Al-Kadhimi, who took office in May, said.

Meanwhile, Trump said “I will say the U.S. and me, in particular, we have a very good relations with Turkey and with President Erdoğan.”

Al-Kadhimi, who arrived in the US on Aug. 19, is the most senior Iraqi visit to the White House since 2017.

Turkey launched new operations in the Kurdistan Region and disputed territories in mid-June. Air offensive Operation Claw-Eagle began on June 15, with a ground offensive, dubbed Operation Claw-Tiger, launched on June 17.

On Aug. 11, a Turkish drone strike in the Sidakan area in northeastern Iraq, near the Turkish and Iranian borders, killed two members of Iraq's border guard and the driver of the vehicle they were in, the Iraqi military said, as it also called the attack "a flagrant aggression."

The drone strike happened as the officers “were in meetings with” members of the PKK, Ihsan al-Chalabi, mayor of Sidekan, was quoted by Rudaw as saying.