Secretary-General of the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs Jabar Yawar said in an interview with Rojnews on Saturday, July 6, that clashes had negatively affected the Region’s interests, including trade relations with Turkey and Iran.
The conflict should be solved through talks and peace negotations, Lieutenant General Yawar added, noting that the Region’s soil should not be used for operations against neighboring countries.
Authorities in the Kurdistan Region have blamed the PKK for precipitating Turkish bombardments on targets in the Region, some of which have resulted in civilian casualties.
The senior Peshmerga official said that between 400 and 450 villages have been evacuated as a result of the clashes between Turkey and PKK.
“Civilians have become the victims of that conflict,” he added.
The Turkish military routinely carries out airstrikes and artillery bombardments in the Kurdistan Region against suspected PKK targets, but their frequency has increased since Ankara launched “Operation Claw” in May, as have civilian casualties.
At least six people total were killed and ten others wounded in three separate incidents within the borders of the Kurdistan Region last month.
The Iraqi foreign ministry released a statement on Saturday condemning deadly Turkish airstrikes in the Kurdistan Region’s border area with Turkey.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) statement following the fatal airstrikes blamed the PKK, while expressing its concern about the civilian deaths.
Spokesperson for the Turkish Foreign Ministry Hami Aksoy said the ministry had summoned Iraqi Chargé d'affaires in Ankara Issam Mohammed on Sunday after Iraq said Turkish strikes had killed civilians.
Aksoy said that the ministry told Iraq’s chargé d'affaires that Turkey’s cross-border operations “will continue with determination.”
On Sunday, Speaker of the Kurdistan Parliament Vala Farid condemned the airstrikes in a statement during a legislative session.
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