ANKARA: Turkey on Monday said it was ready to help the Iraqi government oust Kurdish fighters from the disputed city of Kirkuk.
Ankara fears independence moves by the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) could spark similar moves by its own Kurdish minority.
“We are ready for any form of cooperation with the Iraqi government in order to end the PKK presence in Iraqi territory,” the Turkish foreign ministry said, referring to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara has outlawed.
Iraq’s National Security Council on Sunday said it viewed as a “declaration of war” the presence of “fighters not belonging to the regular security forces in Kirkuk,” including fighters from the PKK.
On Monday, Iraqi forces took control of a military airport near Kirkuk from Kurdish fighters.
Tensions have mounted since a controversial September 25 independence referendum, which irked Baghdad as well as neighboring Turkey and Iran.
Turkish authorities said Ankara would now talk to the central government in Baghdad rather than Iraqi Kurdish leaders, with whom they had forged close ties in the past.
The PKK, which has waged an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984, is listed as a terror group by Turkey and much of the international community including the United States.
The referendum was held in the three provinces of the autonomous Kurdish region and also in adjacent Kurdish-held areas, including Kirkuk, which are claimed by both Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdistan.
Turkey has fiercely opposed the referendum and slammed it as null and void.
“We are warning the (Kurdistan regional government) not to add to the grave mistakes it has made in recent times,” the foreign ministry said.
“Those who help the PKK terror group ... find safe haven in this region will be held responsible also by us.”
Turkey says ready to help Iraq to oust Kurdish fighters
Turkey says ready to help Iraq to oust Kurdish fighters
Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction
- Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, on Friday discussed the latest developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
During their telephone conversation they emphasized the need to intensify international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and halt attacks and settler violence, and to secure the release of Palestinian funds held by Israeli authorities.
They affirmed the importance of ongoing efforts relating to plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, and Europe’s significant role in this process. Mustafa and Albares highlighted the need to unify Palestinian institutions in Gaza with those in the West Bank, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state in line with international resolutions, including last year’s New York Declaration.
They also discussed coordination between their countries, and the strengthening of Spain’s political, diplomatic and financial support for Palestine, and Mustafa thanked Spain for its ongoing support.
Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway. Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian finance and planning minister, is set to visit Spain this month to discuss enhanced cooperation, particularly in the areas of development and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israel continues operating in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners media office said on Friday that Israel carried out numerous raids across the territory, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron, according to The Associated Press.
Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates areas under Israeli control, and the humanitarian crisis is compounded by frequent winter rains and colder temperatures.
On Friday, American actor and film producer Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The only crossing between the territory and a country other than Israel, it remains closed despite Palestinian requests to reopen it to people and aid.
Jolie met with members of the Red Crescent on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing and then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Arish to speak with Palestinian patients on Friday, according to Egyptian officials.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce.
