Turkey halts flights to and from Iraq's Kurdish region

Turkey on Monday closed its airspace for the flights from and to northern Iraq, the Turkish deputy prime minister and government spokesman said Monday.

Government Spokesman Bekir Bozdağ told reporters following a weekly Cabinet meeting Monday that the government has also decided to start procedures to hand over the control of a border gate into the Kurdish region to the Iraqi central government in Baghdad.
"From now on, no airplane will be able to fly to the airports in Northern Iraqi Regional Government, and no airplane from there will be able to use the Turkish airspace," he said.

The announcement came amid escalating tensions between Baghdad and the Kurdish region following last month's non-binding referendum for independence.

On Monday, Iraqi federal forces moved in to the disputed city of Kirkuk and seized oil fields and other infrastructure amid soaring tensions, forcing Kurdish forces to withdraw.

Last month, the KRG held an illegitimate referendum across northern Iraq that resulted in a vote for independence from Baghdad. The vote was opposed by Baghdad as well as Turkey and the U.S.

The Cabinet also advised Turkish Parliament to extend state of emergency for another three months, according to Bozdağ.

Following the Cabinet's meeting, the government submitted to the Turkish parliament a motion, seeking extension of emergency rule.

According to the motion, the new extension will come into force from Oct. 19 at 1.00 a.m.

Turkey declared a state of emergency for the first time in July last year following a deadly coup attempt staged by Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.