Turkey vows to keep striking PKK targets in Iraq

ISTANBUL – Turkey says it will continue to defend itself against terrorists after its strikes against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq sparked criticism from Baghdad.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said Saturday that Turkey expected neighbouring Iraq to fulfil its responsibilities in combatting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. He says Turkey will invoke its “legitimate right to self-defence” if Iraq “does not do what’s necessary.”

Iraq summoned Turkey’s ambassador on Friday to protest Turkish air raids on Iraq’s Sinjar and Makhmour mountains, where the PKK operates. The group has waged an insurgency inside Turkey for more than three decades but also fought against the Islamic State group in Iraq.

The Turkish Defence Ministry says Thursday’s strikes targeted PKK bases that supply Kurdish positions in northern Syria.