Iraq protests Turkish artillery attacks

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Artillery attacks of the Turkish Armed Forces were officially protested by Iraq, says one news report. The foreign minister of Iraq sent a protest letter to Turkey, accusing Turkey of "shelling" Kurdish areas in Iraq. The letter said that the artillery caused heavy damage in northern Iraq and that it went on for several hours. It also said that these kinds of attacks "undermine confidence between the two nations and negatively affect their friendship". Turkey has not confirmed such over-the-border attacks and has been moving armed troops into position on the border for the last several days.

"Iraq would like to take this opportunity to declare its resolve to co-operate with Turkish authorities to allay Turkey's legitimate fears through a constructive dialogue and positive co-operation," the letter said.

News reports say that Iraq is trying to keep the situation calm for the moment, and is trying to cooperate with Turkish forces to deal with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Their thinking is that this situation should not be dealt by the Kurds and Turks alone.