"Turkish military operations against the Kurdistan region continue to take place, the last being the bombardment (Friday) against Sulaimaniyah civilian airport," Rashid said in a statement.
Rashid, who is himself a Kurd from Sulaimaniyah, said such actions by Turkish forces have "no legal justification" and serve only to "terrorise civilians under the pretext that hostile forces are present in Iraq".
He was referring to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has a presence in Iraq's Kurdistan region and is blacklisted as a "terrorist" organisation by Turkey and its allies.
Contacted by AFP, a source at the Turkish defence ministry denied any involvement in Friday's bombardment saying "Turkish armed forces undertook no such activity".
The afternoon bombardment caused a small fire near the airport which was quickly brought under control, a statement from airport security said.
Turkey has repeatedly sought to remove the rebel PKK group in air and ground operations using drones to target them.
On Monday, Ankara halted flights to and from Sulaimaniyah until at least July 3, blaming increased PKK activity in and around the airport.
The Turkish foreign ministry said at the time that PKK activities were posing a "threat" to air security.
In early March, a Turkish drone strike in northern Iraq killed two Yazidi fighters affiliated with the PKK, days after a similar strike killed three other fighters.
The PKK has waged an insurgency in Turkey that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1984.
Turkey has also carried several incursions into neighbouring Syria to push back Kurdish-led fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Ankara considers to be an extension of the PKK.
On Saturday, SDF leader Mazloum Abdi denounced the bombardment against Sulaimaniyah airport, saying it was a sign of Turkish irritation at the support given to the SDF by the province's dominant faction, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK).
Turkey regards the SDF and its main component, the People's Protection Units (YPG), as an offshoot of the PKK, even though the force is backed by the United States as the mainstay of its campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria.
Explosion reported near Iraqi Kurdistan airport
Sulaimaniyah, Iraq (AFP) April 7, 2023 -
An explosion was reported near Sulaimaniyah airport in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region on Friday, security officials said, adding that it caused a fire but no casualties.
The reported blast comes amid tensions with nearby Turkey after Ankara on Wednesday closed its airspace to flights from the city, blaming increased activity of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
Shortly after 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) "an explosion took place near the wall of Sulaimaniyah airport without causing any injuries, but causing a fire which was brought under control by the civil defence", a statement from the airport security services said.
It added that air traffic had not been disrupted.
Local officials including the deputy premier of the Kurdistan region, Qubad Talabani, spoke of an "attack", without elaborating.
A statement from Sulaimaniyah province governor Haval Abu Bakr said the explosion was the result of "aerial bombardment" close to the airport.
He called on "all political parties to put an end to their disputes and not make Kurdistan the victim of their struggles".
Turkey on Wednesday said the freeze on air links with Sulaimaniyah would last until at least July 3 before being reviewed.
"This decision has been taken in the context of the intensification of activities of the PKK at Sulaimaniyah, the intrusion of the terrorist organisation at the airport and the threat it poses to air security," it said.
Abu Bakr at the time urged Ankara to "revise" its decision, saying that "Sulaimaniyah and its airport are secure".
Turkey and its Western allies consider the PKK to be a "terrorist" organisation.
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