An unusually sharp war of words has erupted between Baghdad and Ankara after comments by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan triggered a wave of denunciations from Iraqi officials and politicians, exposing the fragility beneath a recent thaw in Turkey–Iraq ties.
In a televised interview with CNN Türk on February 9, Fidan argued that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) “occupies vast areas of land” in Iraq and urged Baghdad to make a “wiser decision” on confronting the group, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against Turkey. He hinted that a short military operation could eliminate the PKK’s presence on Iraqi soil, signaling Ankara’s readiness to act if Iraqi authorities fail to move decisively.
The remarks sparked immediate fury in Baghdad, where the Foreign Ministry summoned Turkish Ambassador Anıl Bora İnan to deliver a formal protest. Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Hussein Bahr al-Uloom condemned Fidan’s statements as “an affront to friendly relations,” accusing Ankara of interfering in Iraq’s internal affairs and breaching diplomatic norms. Iraqi officials insisted that issues concerning Sinjar, Makhmour, and other disputed areas “fall exclusively within national jurisdiction” and must be handled by Iraqi institutions alone.
While the Iraqi government’s official response was couched in diplomatic language, politicians across the spectrum seized on Fidan’s interview to deliver scathing verbal attacks on Turkey’s top diplomat. For many, the timing was particularly provocative: the country is grappling with domestic debates over foreign military footprints, the role of Iran-aligned militias, and efforts to reassert state sovereignty after years of external interventions. Fidan’s suggestion that Iraq lacked either the will or capacity to confront the PKK was read as a direct challenge to that sovereignty narrative.
At the heart of the dispute lies a long-running argument over how to handle the PKK’s entrenched presence in northern Iraq. Turkey has repeatedly targeted PKK bases in Qandil, Makhmour, and Sinjar, and maintains military positions—including the controversial Bashiqa base near Mosul—in operations that Baghdad has often condemned as violations of its airspace and territory. Although Iraq’s National Security Council has banned the PKK and recently moved closer to Ankara on counter-terrorism coordination, Iraqi leaders insist that the pace and shape of any campaign must remain under Iraqi control.
The latest flare-up also threatens to overshadow ambitious economic and infrastructure initiatives, such as the so-called “Development Road” corridor linking the Gulf to Europe through Iraq and Turkey, which both sides have promoted as the backbone of a new strategic partnership. Analysts warn that recurring sovereignty crises over Turkish airstrikes and ground operations risk undermining trust just as these projects advance.
Ankara has moved quickly to contain the fallout. Turkish officials say Fidan’s words were distorted in translation and that he was referring solely to PKK militants—not Iraq’s political system or its citizens—reiterating that Turkey’s policy is grounded in respect for Iraqi sovereignty. For now, both governments appear keen to prevent the verbal clash from escalating into a broader diplomatic rupture, but the episode underlines how unresolved security files continue to haunt the Turkey–Iraq relationship despite a recent trend toward pragmatic cooperation.