Iraq condemns Turkish strikes on PKK as 'assault on sovereignty'

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The Iraqi government condemned Turkey's assault on Kurdish militants in northern Iraq as "a dangerous escalation and an assault on Iraqi sovereignty". In a statement posted to Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's website on Tuesday, Baghdad called on Turkey to avoid further escalation and seek a resolution to the crisis. It said it was committed to not allowing any attack on its northern neighbour from inside Iraqi territory. Turkey, which launched near-simultaneous strikes against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps in Iraq and Islamic State fighters in Syria last Friday, intensified its assault on Kurdish militants in northern Iraq overnight. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that it was impossible to continue a peace process with Kurdish militants. (Writing by Stephen Kalin, editing by John Stonestreet)