Iraq to Redeploy Border Guards to Stop Attacks by Iran, Turkey - Prime Minister's Office

CAIRO (Sputnik) - Iraq has decided to redeploy border guards to stop attacks on the part of Iran and Turkey, the Iraqi Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the Ministerial Council on National Security discussed the situation with more intensive shelling of Iraqi Kurdistan by Iran and Turkey.

Ankara and Tehran have delivered strikes on border areas, justifying them by the fight against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and, in the case of Iran, parties and groups in opposition to Tehran.

"As part of efforts to stop these attacks, the council decided, along with diplomatic measures, to redeploy Iraqi border forces to maintain the 'zero line' along the entire length of the border with Iran and Turkey," according to the Iraqi Prime Minister's Office statement obtained by Sputnik.

The official's announcement came as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned in a Wednesday address that its recent airstrikes were "just the beginning" as he looks to ensure a "safe zone" at the country's southern border.

“While we press ahead with air raids uninterrupted, we will crack down on terrorists also by land at the most convenient time for us," the Turkish leader underscored.

Earlier Wednesday, Syrian Kurds wrote an open letter to US President Joe Biden in which they emphasized the US must support its allies and halt Turkish attacks in northern Syria.

A US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson told Sputnik on Wednesday that the Turkish airstrikes in Syria earlier this week posed a risk to US forces in the region. However, the remark came after the US had earlier indicated that Turkish strikes did not pose a risk to US forces.