BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq’s Foreign Ministry says it has summoned Turkey’s ambassador to protest Turkish airstrikes on Kurdish militia positions in northern Iraq.

The ministry said in a statement Friday that it had rebuked Turkey over two air raids on Iraq’s Sinjar and Makhmour mountains the previous night, where the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, operates.

PKK fighters in Sinjar helped liberate the mountainous northern region from Islamic State rule in 2015.

Turkey, which has outlawed the PKK in its own territories, said the operation was aimed to secure its border and prevent terror attacks. Turkey’s parliament in October renewed the military’s mandate to carry out cross-border operations against its enemies in Syria and Iraq.

Iraq’s foreign ministry called the Turkish air raids a violation of national sovereignty.

Sign up for Daily Newsletters Manage Newsletters

Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC.