Cleric Condemns Turkish Intrusion into Iraq
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A prominent Iranian cleric decried the deployment of Turkish troops to northern Iraq, saying such violation of territorial integrity is destructive to both Turkey and the region.
“This Turkish intrusion is… very detrimental to itself (Turkey) and the region, and there is no logic behind the move,” Ayatollah Kazem Seddiqi said at a speech to worshippers in Tehran on Friday.
He underscored that even the Turkish nation is discontented with the Ankara government’s decision and do not want to see their country’s engagement in challenges.
“We condemn such invasion,” the cleric added, recommending the Turkish officials to avoid taking harmful measures that only result in a “weak and hated” Turkey.
The comments came after Turkey’s deployment of several hundreds of troops in Bashiqa in northern Iraq. Baghdad has asked Ankara to withdraw all its forces.
Baghdad has also threatened to take the issue to the UN Security Council if troops are not withdrawn, saying they had entered the country illegally without its consent.
Iraq's Foreign Ministry said the Turkish forces had entered Iraqi territory without the knowledge of Baghdad, which regards their presence as a "hostile act".
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said that Turkish troops are in Iraq at the request of Haider al-Abadi, Iraqi prime minister, since 2014.