Iraq had already dispatched humanitarian aid to Syria including 60 tons of food, medical supplies, and 150 Iraqi Red Crescent volunteers
The Iraqi government disclosed on 15 February that Baghdad will dispatch 60,000 tons of fuel oil to Syria and 30,000 tons to Turkiye, following last week’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake that reportedly took over 41,000 lives.
In a statement released by the Iraqi government, shipments of humanitarian aid will be delivered to Syria from Iraq via the Al-Mikhtaf area, located in Iraq’s territorial waters, to help mitigate the earthquake’s impact.
The Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS) had already sent its first batch of humanitarian aid to Syria on 6 February via Iraqi Air Force planes. The shipment included 60 tons of food, medical supplies, and 150 Iraqi Red Crescent volunteers, including several paramedics.
Baghdad also affirmed that it would send 30,000 tons of fuel oil in solidarity with Ankara. Business groups in Ankara estimated that the devastating earthquake caused as much as $84 billion in damages in Turkiye, which amounts to more than a tenth of the country’s GDP.
Iraq’s aid to Turkiye comes despite recent tensions between the two countries. Over the past year, Turkiye has regularly bombed positions in northern Iraq to combat the presence of Kurdish armed groups, which Ankara deems as terrorist organizations.
Last month, the Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid informed Turkiye that the normalization of relations between Ankara and Baghdad could not happen while Turkish forces continue to violate Iraq’s sovereignty.
“To be honest, the stance Turkiye has in terms of entering Iraq, whether through army or aircraft, has embarrassed the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and both the Iraqi and Kurdish people; they all disapprove of this in every way,” Rashid said.
In November 2022, Turkiye launched its aerial operation, ‘Claw-Sword,’ in northern Iraq to combat Kurdish separatists from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara holds responsible for the Istanbul bombing that took place that same month.
According to a report from The Cradle, Turkiye has 38 illegal bases in Iraq to create a 40km-deep security belt between the two countries. Turkiye has also occupied parts of northern Syria in an effort to combat Kurdish forces.
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