2 yıl önce

Cavusoglu: Turkish forces did not target civilians in Iraq's Duhok

The foreign minister rejects official and unofficial statements seeking to link Türkiye to the attack, accusing the PKK terrorist group of spreading propaganda.

AP

Cavusoglu said Türkiye will continue its fight against terrorism in line with international law, only targeting terrorist organisations.

Türkiye did not carry out any attack against civilians in northern Iraq's Duhok province, the country's foreign minister has said.

"According to the information we received from the Turkish Armed Forces, we did not carry out any attack against civilians," Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday in a live interview with the Turkish broadcaster TRT Haber.

Cavusoglu's remarks came a day after an attack in Duhok’s Zakho district killed eight people.

In a statement released after Wednesday's attack, the Turkish Foreign Ministry asked Iraqi government officials not to make statements on the Duhok attack "under the influence of rhetoric and propaganda" of the PKK terrorist organisation.

The PKK's propaganda in Iraq comes at a time when Türkiye is set to launch a new operation against the terror group’s offshoot the YPG/PKK in northern Syria, across the Turkish border, said Cavusoglu, urging Iraqi authorities must not fall into the trap of terrorist groups.

Turkish security sources also rejected the reports "in support of the terrorist organisation PKK/KCK" — which claimed that the civilians were lost their lives due to "shelling" by Turkish forces.

Cavusoglu pledged that Türkiye would “cooperate with the Iraqi authorities after the treacherous attack that we believe was carried out by terrorist groups”.

He added that Türkiye rejects both official and unofficial statements seeking to link it to the attack.

Fight against terrorism

Türkiye, said Cavusoglu, will continue its fight against terrorism in line with international law, only targeting terrorist groups.

"The whole world knows that Türkiye has never carried out an attack on civilians. We continue our fight against terrorism in accordance with international law," he added.

Denying allegations that protesters entered the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad after the attack, Cavusoglu said: "Entering our embassy is out of the question. Iraqi authorities have taken the necessary security measures everywhere."

"We thank them too. In front of some of our visa offices, a group of rabble-rousers burned our flag. Apart from that, there was a demonstration in front of our old embassy, and then they dispersed," he added.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by Türkiye, the European Union and the US, and is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the terrorist PKK’s Syrian branch.