Baghdad demanded that Ankara immediately cease bombing northern Iraq, AFP reported.

Turkey launched earlier on Wednesday a cross-border operation in the mountainous regions of northern Iraq, where the Kurdish Workers Party is believed to be hiding.

On Thursday, the Iraqi MFA summoned the Turkish ambassador and handed him a “strongly-worded memorandum calling for a halt to such provocative actions.”

“We stress that Turkey must stop its bombardment and withdraw its attacking forces from Iraqi territory,” the ministry said in a statement.

“We affirm our categorical rejection of these violations.”

Iraq on Thursday summoned Iranian ambassador Iraj Masjedi to protest the shelling of Kurdish areas on Tuesday.

A statement by the MFA called on Iran “respect Iraq’s sovereignty and stops these types of actions.”

“This ministry affirms Iraq is keen to maintain and develop the historical ties between the two countries, and also stresses its condemnation of these actions,” the ministry said.

From the beginning of the week, the Turkish ambassador to Iraq has already been summoned to the Foreign Ministry twice.

He was also summoned to the foreign ministry on Tuesday. After this meeting, Yildiz said he told Iraqi officials that if Baghdad does not take action against the rebels, Ankara will continue to “fight the PKK wherever it is.”