Turkish FM warns N. Iraqi Kurds of military operation

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday warned against a possible military operation in northern Iraq in case the Turkmen community is targeted.

Cavusoglu's remarks came amid an ongoing non-binding independence referendum in the region, which will see Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)-held areas, including territories disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, vote on seceding from Iraq.

"Turkish army will intervene immediately if our Turkmen brothers [in disputed Kirkuk province] are physically targeted," Cavusoglu said in an interview aired live on AHaber news network.

He said Turkey would no longer provide "military training support for the [Kurdish] Peshmerga forces," adding Ankara would from now on be engaging primarily with the Baghdad administration.

Iraq, Turkey, Iran, the U.S., and the UN have all spoken out against the KRG referendum, saying it will only distract from the ongoing fight against Daesh and further destabilize the region.

Iraq’s central government has threatened to intervene militarily if the vote leads to violence.

KRG President Massoud Barzani has said a Yes win would not result in an automatic declaration of independence but would simply lead to further negotiations with Baghdad.


- Russian airstrikes in NW Syria

Recalling the recent Russian airstrikes on Syria's northwestern Idlib province, Cavusoglu said any attack on the civilians in the region would be a violation of the ceasefire, as well as a termination of Astana agreement, referring to a series of Syria peace talks held in the Kazakh capital among guarantor states of Turkey, Russia and Iran, as well as representatives of the Damascus regime and some opposition faction.

The first round of peace talks was held in the Kazakh capital on Jan. 23-24 after a ceasefire was hammered out on Dec. 30. A seventh round is scheduled to take place in October.

Turkey backs the Syrian opposition, while Russia and Iran support the Assad regime.