No attack by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) took place on civilians in Iraq’s Dohuk, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Thursday.
"Turkey never targets civilians, it only targets the PKK terrorist organization," Çavuşoğlu said on TRT Haber after claims by Iraqi authorities blaming an attack in the country on Turkey.
Çavuşoğlu, reiterating condolences for those who lost their lives in Iraq, said: "There were also reports accusing and defaming Turkey about this attack. We have clearly denied this in our statement, or rather, the whole world knows that Turkey has never carried out an attack against civilians. We continue our fight against terrorism in accordance with international law."
Turkey’s top diplomat elaborated that discussions were held between Turkish institutions as soon as the news was received. He said that according to information received by the TSK, no attack on civilians has taken place.
As in Syria, our targets in Iraq so far have always been terrorist organizations, Çavuşoğlu said.
He reiterated that Turkey offered to cooperate with Iraqi officials after the attack, which is believed to have been carried out by terrorist organizations.
Dozens of Iraqis gathered on Wednesday outside the Turkish embassy in Baghdad to protest the attack.
Çavuşoğlu said that while there were protests outside the embassy and other Turkish offices, there were no reports of damage or injuries
The PKK's propaganda in Iraq comes at a time when Turkey is about to launch a new operation in northern Syria, and Iraqi authorities must not fall for the "trap" of terrorist groups, Çavuşoğlu emphasized.
The attack also came two days after a summit in Tehran at which both Russia and Iran spoke out against Turkey's proposed new military operation in northern Syria.
Turkey does not need anyone's permission to conduct military offensives against the PKK, Çavuşoğlu pointed out.
"We exchanged ideas, but we never asked and we never ask permission for our military operations," he said
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, at a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan earlier, warned Turkey against an operation.
“Any sort of military attack in northern Syria will definitely harm Turkey, Syria and the entire region, and will benefit terrorists,” Iran’s top leader said, stressing the need to “bring the issue to an end through talks.”
Iran and Russia have backed Bashar Assad’s regime, while Turkey has supported armed opposition factions.
In May, Erdoğan announced plans for a new military operation in Syria to drive away the PKK and its Syrian wing, the YPG. The plans include resuming Turkish efforts to create a 30-kilometer (20-mile) safe zone along the border with Syria and enabling the voluntary return of Syrian refugees from Turkey, Erdoğan has said.
