ISTANBUL, 5 Apr. (DPA/EP) –
The Turkish Foreign Ministry reported on Wednesday that Ankara has closed its airspace to flights to and from northern Iraq due to the increase in “terrorist” activity in the region.
The measure, which entered into force on Monday and will be in force until July 3, affects flights at Sulemania International Airport — controlled by the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government — where alleged “terrorists” would have infiltrated, thus threatening air safety.
Under the measure, Turkey’s national airline, Turkish Airlines, has suspended its flights to Sulemania from early Wednesday morning “until further notice,” a company official told the DPA news agency.
The airline flew twice daily to Sulemania, a key city for Turkey due to Turkey’s strong trade and commercial ties to the region.
Waging a decades-long struggle for autonomy inside Turkey and based in northern Iraq, the Kurdish separatist armed group Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) is considered a “terrorist” by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
Ankara has cultivated close ties with Iraqi Kurdistan over the years. Turkey has several military posts in the region, where it often attacks suspected PKK enclaves.
