Iraq’s Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali al-Sistani on Friday expressed his categorical rejection for the Turkish military incursion into northern the country, calling on the government to protect the Iraqi sovereignty from all violation

Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali al-Sistani on Friday expressed his categorical rejection for the Turkish military incursion into northern the country, calling on the government to protect the Iraqi sovereignty from all kinds of violations.

The statements of the Supreme religious authority in Iraq were delivered by its representative Sayyed Ahmad Safi who asserted that since there laws which organize the international relations, none of the countries can dispatch its troops to Iraq under the pretext of helping the Iraqi forces in their war against terrorism.

"All the neighboring countries must respect Iraq's sovereignty and refrain from sending their troops to it," he added.

The Iraqi government is responsible for protecting the country's integrity, sovereignty and independence fro those who violate its borders whatever their pretexts are, Sayyed Safi added.

A crisis has sparked between Iraq and Turkey last Friday when reports said a Turkish training battalion equipped with armored vehicles was deployed near the city of Mosul under the pretext of training Iraqi paramilitary groups in fighting the ISIL terrorist group.