Iraq on Tuesday summoned Turkey’s ambassador to Baghdad in protest at a new  Turkish offensive concentrated on rebels in the north’s independent Kurdistan region.

Turkey on Monday said it has released air and floor offensive toward militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.

Iraq surpassed Turkish ambassador Ali Riza Guney a “firmly-worded be aware of protest” urging its northern neighbor to “positioned a quit to acts of provocation and unacceptable violations”, the overseas ministry said in a declaration.

Designated as a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies, the PKK has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Turkey routinely carries out attacks in northern Iraq, where the PKK has bases and training camps in the Sinjar region and on the mountainous border with Turkey.

“The Iraqi government renews its call for the withdrawal of all Turkish forces from Iraqi territories in a manner that reflects binding respect for national sovereignty,” the Iraqi statement said.

Iraqi President Barham Saleh, himself a Kurd, on Tuesday, condemned the Turkish offensive as a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty and a threat to national security”.

The repeated Turkish operations have tested relations between Baghdad and Ankara, key trade partners.

They additionally complicate ties with the regional government in Iraqi Kurdistan, which has an uneasy relationship with the PKK.

The trendy offensive comes two days after a go to Ankara with the aid of the Kurdistan region’s top minister, Masrour Barzani.