Egypt: Turkish Strikes on Kurds in Iraq 'Unacceptable Violation of Sovereignty'

Egypt has strongly condemned the recent strike conducted by the Turkish Air Force on Kurdish positions in the northern Iraqi city of Sinjar, as the incident could hinder efforts in the fight against terrorism, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

CAIRO (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, the Turkish General Staff said that about 70 Kurdish fighters were killed as a result of the airstrikes in both the northeast of Syria and the north of Iraq.

"[Cairo] condemns the Turkish airstrike in the area of Sinjar mountains… such actions will complicate the situation in the region and hamper anti-terrorist efforts… these [airstrikes] are an unacceptable violation of Iraq's sovereignty and unjustified aggression against its lands. The Arab Republic of Egypt says that it stands together with the government and people of Iraq in the face flagrant attack, which cannot be justified," the statement said.

Tensions between Turkey and Kurds escalated in July 2015 when a ceasefire between Ankara and the PKK collapsed because of a series of terror attacks allegedly committed by PKK members. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

Syrian Kurds on Tuesday called on the UN Security Council (UNSC) to express its opinion regarding Turkish airstrikes against the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) operating in the north of the country.