PUK MP: Silence over the Turkish shelling is shameful

Silence of the Iraqi and the Kurdistan Regional governments over the Turkish shelling is shameful, MP of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc in the Iraqi Parliament said on Monday.

"Silence over the continuous Turkish bombing, which affects various parts within the Kurdistan Region every now and then is another shame for the central and the regional governments," MP Briar Rashid told PUKmedia, adding that "All Iraqi political parties must take a serious and firm stance on this issue as soon as possible. "

"We all heard what the Turkish defense minister said on what he called as an (effective contribution by Turkey's partners in the Kurdistan region and his appreciation for efforts taken for the success of the military operations)!" He said, noting that "everyone knows that the partners mentioned by the Turkish minister, are the same partners who fight for positions in Baghdad under a shiny name like (Save the Homeland)... It is they who facilitate the violation of national sovereignty for the aggressing countries and work day and night to achieve those countries' agendas which aim to destroy the homeland and its dignity and the dignity of its citizens."

The Turkish army launched a new military operation inside the Kurdistan Region.  The operation is focused on the Kurdistan Region's Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions, according to the Turkish Defense Ministry. Alongside the air operation, commandos and special forces also participated, both by land and air.

Earlier, the Popular Defense Forces, the armed wing of PKK, announced the thwarting of an air attack, killing 8 Turkish soldiers.

PUK reporter in Amedi stated that the Turkish army carried out an airdrop last night in Shiladze district in Duhok Governorate on Monday morning.

It is noteworthy that the Turkish operation came after the visit of the Kurdistan Region's Prime Minister Masrour Barzani to Turkey on April 15 where he met the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and intelligence chief Hakan Fidan.

The Turkish forces continue their security operations in the areas of the Kurdistan Region, despite official appeals from Baghdad to Ankara to stop its aggression.

Turkey has carried out cross-border offensives of varying magnitude allegedly against the PKK for decades. However, in recent years, it's begun to establish more of a sustained presence in a growing number of bases and checkpoints dotting the mountains of the Kurdistan Region despite calls from Iraqi authorities to stop these actions. 

Thousands of acres of land have been burnt and many villages have been evacuated due to Turkish bombings, and even civilian casualties have fallen due to the continuous Turkish operations in the Kurdistan Region.  

According to Al-Monitor, Arzu Yilmaz, a Middle East scholar and visiting fellow at Hamburg University reckons that there are more than 5,000 Turkish forces currently deployed in the Kurdistan Region and Bashiqa, an area under Iraqi central government control lying east of Mosul. 



PUKmedia