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Turkey, Iran Summoned as Iraq Demands Ankara to Withdraw Forces

A member of the Iraqi federal police is seen near military vehicles in a street in Baghdad, Iraq October 7, 2019. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili
A member of the Iraqi federal police is seen near military vehicles in a street in Baghdad, Iraq October 7, 2019. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili
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Turkey, Iran Summoned as Iraq Demands Ankara to Withdraw Forces

A member of the Iraqi federal police is seen near military vehicles in a street in Baghdad, Iraq October 7, 2019. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili
A member of the Iraqi federal police is seen near military vehicles in a street in Baghdad, Iraq October 7, 2019. REUTERS/Wissm al-Okili

Baghdad on Thursday demanded Ankara immediately halt its assault in northern Iraq, where Turkish special forces and helicopters have been targeting Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) hideouts.

Turkey early Wednesday launched a cross-border operation into the mountainous regions of northern Iraq where the PKK, considered by Ankara to be a "terrorist" group, is thought to be hiding out.

Iraq's foreign ministry summoned Turkish ambassador Fatih Yildiz on Thursday and handed him a "strongly-worded protest note calling for a halt to such provocative actions."

"We stress that Turkey must stop its bombardment and withdraw its attacking forces from Iraqi territory," the ministry said in a statement.

"We affirm our categorical rejection of these violations," it added.

It was the second time in a week that Baghdad summoned Yildiz, who was also called to the foreign ministry on Tuesday following Turkish bombardment in northern Iraq, also against PKK hideouts.

After that meeting, Yildiz said he had told Iraqi officials that if Baghdad did not take action against the PKK fighters, Ankara would continue to fight the group wherever it is.

Turkey’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Turkish forces have hit more than 500 Kurdish targets in northern Iraq as part of “Operation Claw-Tiger" in the region against the PKK.

Turkey began expanding its military footprint in Iraq last summer in an intense operation against PKK targets following the July 17 assassination in Irbil of Osman Kose, who worked for the Turkish Consulate there. Ankara has blamed the PKK for his killing.

Iraq on Thursday also summoned Iranian Ambassador Iraj Masjedi to protest the bombardment of border villages in the Haji Omran area outside of Irbil the previous day. The shelling resulted in property damages to the villages, the statement said.

Iran routinely attacks its own Kurdish rebels who have bases in northern Iraq. In a statement, the Iraqi ministry condemned the attack and called on Iran to respect Iraq’s sovereignty and encouraged bilateral cooperation to maintain security along the shared border.

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Report: Western Powers Warn Syria over Foreign Fighters in Army

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in Damascus. (Reuters)
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in Damascus. (Reuters)
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Report: Western Powers Warn Syria over Foreign Fighters in Army

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in Damascus. (Reuters)
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters in Damascus. (Reuters)

US, French and German envoys have warned Syria's new rulers that their appointment of foreign fighters to senior military posts is a security concern and bad for their image as they try to forge ties with foreign states, two sources familiar with the matter said.

The warning from the US, part of Western efforts to get Syria's new leaders to reconsider the move, was delivered in a meeting between US envoy Daniel Rubinstein and Syria's de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday at the presidential palace overlooking Damascus, a US official said.

"These appointments will not help them with their reputation in the US," the official said.

The foreign ministers of France and Germany, Jean-Noel Barrot and Annalena Baerbock, also broached the issue of foreign fighters drafted into the army during their meeting with Sharaa on Jan. 3, an official aware of the talks said.

Reuters reported the appointments on Dec. 30. The envoys' comments on the appointments have not previously been reported.

Sharaa's armed group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led an offensive that ousted former president Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 and has since installed a government and disbanded the Assad-era army. It is now making efforts to reconstitute the armed forces.

Late last year, it made nearly 50 appointments including at least six foreign fighters, among them Chinese and central Asian Uyghurs, a Turkish citizen, an Egyptian and a Jordanian, Reuters reported at the time.

Three were given the rank of brigadier-general and at least three others the rank of colonel, a Syrian military source said.

HTS and allied groups have hundreds of foreign fighters in their ranks who came to Syria during the country's 13-year civil war, many of them followers of hardline interpretations of Islam.

Foreign capitals generally view foreign fighters as a key security threat as they suspect that some may seek to carry out attacks in their home countries after gaining experience abroad.

Officials of the new Syrian administration have said foreign fighters made sacrifices to help overthrow Assad and would have a place in Syria, adding they could be granted citizenship.

The Syrian defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The German foreign ministry did not comment.

A State Department spokesperson said Washington is in a continuing dialogue with the interim authorities in Damascus.

"Discussions have been constructive and have covered a wide range of domestic and international issues," the spokesperson said, adding there has been "tangible progress on counter-terrorism priorities, including ISIS."

The US official and a Western source said that Damascus explained the appointments of foreign fighters by saying they could not simply be sent back home or abroad where they may face persecution, and it was better to keep them in Syria.

The US official said authorities also explained that these people had helped rid Syria of Assad and some had been in the country for more than 10 years and so were part of society.