Al-Sadr calls on Turkey to respect the Iraqi sovereignty

Shafaq News/ The leader of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, condemned the repeated Turkish attack on the Iraqi territory.

"Our neighbor, Turkey, has bombed Iraqi territory unjustly and without an argument."

The Shiite cleric stressed that if Turkey feels danger coming from Iraqi lands, it must coordinate with the Iraqi government.

"We will not remain silent if Turkey repeats this action… Iraq is a fully sovereign state and will not accept aggression and destabilization of security neither against Iraq nor brotherly and friendly neighboring countries." He added.

On Monday, Iraq condemned the military operation launched by the Turkish army against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) on the Iraqi territory.

"The Iraqi Government rejects, and strongly condemns, the military operations carried out by the Turkish forces by bombing Iraqi lands in the Matina, Zab, Avasin-Basyan areas in northern Iraq." The spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

"Iraq considers this act a violation of its sovereignty and international laws; It also violates the principle of neighborliness." He added.

"Iraq shall not be headquarters or corridor to attack any of the neighboring countries, and it also refuses to be an arena for conflicts for external parties." He concluded.

Earlier, the Turkish Defense Minister launched an action called "Operation Claw Lock" to "prevent terror attacks" and ensure border security following an assessment that the PKK was planning a large-scale attack.

Turkey regularly launches air strikes into northern Iraq, a region where it has repeatedly sent commandos to support its offensives.

The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which in the past was mainly focused on southeast Turkey.

PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union.