...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than there are in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really most important...has stated.
The aim of Operation Claw Lock, which kicked off late on Sunday, was to "rid Iraqi lands of forces of Evil and guarantee the security of our borders," Erdogan outlined during a parliamentary group meeting of the ruling AK Party on Wednesday.
The northern Iraqi regions of Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan, where the operation is unfolding, have been used by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to prepare attacks against
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
, he said.
The PKK, which is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara, has been fighting
"Turkey does not claim any territories," the president pointed out, adding that it was instead "making every effort to contribute to the strengthening of their territorial integrity and political unity so that our neighbors can live in security and peace."
"We will continue to do so. We act with the same aim in Syria as in Iraq," Erdogan insisted.
On Tuesday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry slammed the operation by Ankara as "a violation of its illusory sovereignty and the sanctity of the country" that didn’t make Turkey look like a good neighbor. Iraq shouldn’t be "an arena for conflicts and settling scores for other external parties," according to the ministry.
The
| Al Ahram adds: |
The Turkish leader's comments came a day after Iraq summoned Turkey's ambassador to Baghdad to lodge a formal protest against Erdogan's latest military campaign.
Turkey's armed forces have reported the death of two soldiers and dozens of Kurdish militants since the launch Sunday of their third offensive in northern Iraq since 2020.
Erdogan told a parliamentary meeting of his ruling party that both Baghdad and the leaders of the autonomous Kurdish region based in Erbil supported Turkey's ground and air assault.
"I thank the central government in Iraq and the regional administration for their support to our fight against terror," Erdogan said.
"I wish success for our heroic soldiers involved in this operation, which we are carrying out in close cooperation with the central Iraqi government and the regional administration in northern Iraq."
Officials in Baghdad are publicly voicing displeasure over the Turkish military push into the mountains of northern Iraq, and later on Wednesday, the government dismissed Erdogan's claims.
"We promise that everything the Turkish side keeps saying regarding any coordination or agreement with the Iraqi government is not true," foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Al-Sahhaf said, quoted by state news agency INA.
The foreign ministry on Tuesday said Iraq handed the Turkish ambassador a "firmly-worded note of protest" urging its northern neighbor to "put an end to acts of provocation and unacceptable violations".
Some analysts believe that Iraqi leaders -- while lodging formal protests -- are privately happy that Turkey is trying to punish fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
The group is recognized as a terrorist organization by both Ankara and its Western allies.