Iraq says Turkey has “expansionist goals” on Iraqi territory

Iraqi Foreign Ministry accused Turkey of having expansionist goals on its territory.

There are "expansionist goals” behind the attacks Turkey carries out in Iraq’s soil, the foreign ministry’s spokesperson Ahmed al-Sahaf said on Sunday, according to Rudaw.

Iraq on Saturday has announced that it filed a complaint to the United Nations Security Council, demanding an emergency session over Wednesday’s artillery attack on northern Zakho district, killing nine Iraqi tourists and wounding at least 20. Iraqi government blames Turkey regarding the attack, where Ankara denies the involvement.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein also said on Saturday during an extraordinary session of Iraq's House of Representatives that UN Security Council will hold an emergency session on Tuesday on Iraq’s request, to discuss the Turkish attacks on Iraqi soil.

Following the bombardment on Wednesday, Iraqi Prime minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi said the "brutal attack underscores the fact that Turkey ignored Iraq’s continuous demands to refrain from military violations against Iraqi territory and the lives of its people."

In response to Iraqi authorities’ accusations, Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a written statement on the same day, denying any responsibility over the deadly attack.

Turkey is against all kinds of attacks targeting civilians, Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

“We invite Iraqi government officials not to make statements under the influence of the rhetoric and propaganda of the treacherous terrorist organisation and to cooperate in bringing the real perpetrators of this tragic incident into light,” it said.

Turkey carries out military attacks in northern Iraq and Syria against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its alleged Syrian affiliates. PKK is an armed group, designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, fighting for autonomy in Turkish soil since 1980’s.