ANKARA: Turkey has suspended air links with the Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaimaniyah, citing increased activity of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) at the city’s airport.
The move comes amid rising tensions between Turkey and Kurdish forces in the region.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Turkey’s foreign ministry said the decision to close the airspace to flights from Sulaimaniyah was made in response to “the intensification of activities of the PKK at Sulaimaniyah, the intrusion of the terrorist organization at the airport, and the threat it poses to air security.”
The flight suspension will last until at least July 3, when it will be reviewed.
The Sulaimaniyah province Governor, Haval Abu Bakr, urged Ankara to reconsider its decision.
“I can tell you that Sulaimaniyah province and its airport are secure,” he said, adding that “initiatives” were underway between those concerned.
Under normal circumstances, one daily civilian flight linked Sulaimaniyah to Turkey, according to airport spokesperson Dana Mohammed.
The move by Turkey comes amid rising tensions between Turkish forces and Kurdish fighters in the region.
PKK activities in Iraqi Kurdish city
Last month, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that one of its top commanders was among nine fighters killed when two helicopters crashed in Iraq in mid-March.
The helicopters had been heading to Sulaimaniyah for talks on security and military issues.
The SDF has been an important ally of the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Syria and neighbouring Iraq.
Turkey and its Western allies consider the PKK to be a “terrorist” organization, but Turkey also considers the dominant faction in the SDF, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), to be an offshoot of the PKK.
The closure of the airspace to Sulaimaniyah is likely to exacerbate tensions between Turkey and Kurdish forces in the region and may also have implications for regional security and stability.
