Iraqi MP Ali Turkey al-Jamali, from the Shi’ite Sadiqoun bloc, said Turkey’s military occupation had resulted in civilian deaths and must be ended either peacefully or by force, Iraq’s Al- Maalomah news agency reported on Saturday.
Jamali’s words came weeks after Turkish military forces killed nine civilians in a targeted attack on the Iraqi Kurdish village in Zakho region. The attack led to fresh calls by Iraqi politicians for the departure of Turkish forces, who have built up a formidable presence in the north of the country.
Jamali said the US government’s silence had led the Turkish occupier to continue violating international laws by targeting citizens in their towns and villages.
Turkish forces regularly conduct strikes on settlements in Iraqi Kurdistan during operations against Kurdish groups defined by the Turkish government as terrorist organisations.
Though the Kurdistan Regional Government has taken a supportive stance to Turkish military operations on its soil, lawmakers in the central Iraqi parliament have long called for the removal of Turkish forces.
“(Turkey) has no choice except to leave Iraq, peacefully or by force,” Jamali told al-Maalomah, adding that the Turkish operations had resulted in civilian deaths and left thousands displaced.
The Iraqi government and officials issued strong reactions to the Turkish state’s massacre in Zakho that killed nine Iraqi tourists, including three children and injured over 20 others on 20 July, but so far no action has been taken.
Al-Sadiqoun is a political wing of the Shia Asaib Ahl al Haq, an anti-US group backed by Iran. In the Oct. 2021 parliamentary election, Al-Sadiqoun ran as part of the Fatah Coalition, which won 17 out of 329 seats.