Dozens of protestors gathered in Baghdad near the Turkish embassy on Thursday, condemning Turkish intrusions in the north of the country. The Iraqi security forces blocked all roads adjacent to the embassy as demonstrators chanted slogans, "Turkey out, out".
Ankara considers the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as a terrorist group. In recent years, the country has tended to expand its operations in the Iraqi rear without coordinating with Baghdad, according to Iraqi media. The protestors say Turkey is seeking to form a permanent military base in their territory while questioning refusal to dismantle the already set-up Turkish bases.
Turkish defence minister Hulusi Akar said earlier this week that Turkey's troops had retrieved the bodies of 13 Turkish hostages allegedly abducted by PKK insurgents through operation Claw-Eagle 2 in northern Iraq. As per reports, the operation killed 48 PKK militants and three Turkish troops.
Turkey had also launched an operation, Claw-Tiger, last June in Iraq's northern region despite Baghdad's severe denunciations.
Though Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that operations strengthened the country's will to build a safe zone along its border, the move was called a failed cross-border rescue mission by Turkish opposition parties.