Iraq President condemns Turkish airstrike on Sulaymaniyah
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Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid slammed Turkey for its drone attack on Sulaymaniyah that targeted SDF Commander in Chief Mazloum Abdi on 7 April.
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Newly elected President Abed El Latif Rashid waves during his inauguration at Al-Salam Palace in Baghdad, Iraq, 17 October 2022. (AFP)
Iraqi President Abdel Latif Rashid condemned the Turkish drone strike near Sulaymaniyah airport on Saturday. The strike targeted US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi but failed to capitalize.
President Rashid issued a statement in which he slammed the Turkish government saying, “Turkish military operations against the Kurdistan region continue to take place, the last being the bombardment against Sulaymaniyah civilian airport."
Rashid, born in Sulaymaniyah and of Kurdish origins, stated that the actions of the Turkish forces have “no legal justification” and would only “terrorize civilians under the pretext that hostile forces are present in Iraq.”
By ‘hostile forces’ the Iraqi president was referring to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which is labeled as a terrorist organization by Turkey.
Turkey has previously targeted Kurdish groups in the ground and air attacks.
A Turkish drone strike in early March killed two Yazidi fighters affiliated with PKK in early March days after a similar strike that killed three fighters.
The Iraqi authorities reported yesterday that: "This evening, April 7, 2023, at 4:18 pm, an explosion happened near the fences of the Sulaymaniyah International Airport."
The explosion did not cause any fatalities or material damage.
Turkish authorities suspended all flights from the airport to Turkey on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry explained that “this decision has been taken in the context of the intensification of activities of the PKK at Sulaymaniyah, the intrusion of the terrorist organization at the airport, and the threat it poses to air security.”
Iraqi officials have urged Turkey to revise its decision and said the airport was secure.
