Turkey has 11 temporary military bases in northern Iraq, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said Thursday, June 21, according to Daily Sabah.

Speaking in a live interview to private A Haber broadcaster, Yıldırım also said 400 square kilometers of the region has been cleared of ‘terrorists’.

“We are shelling Mt. Qandil through air operations at times. This time PKK terrorists are crossing into Iran when they are on the back foot,” the prime minister said.

He added Turkey has no problem with Iran over its Qandil operation. “We cleared the area in northwestern Syria’s Afrin during Operation Olive Branch. We will do the same thing in Mt. Qandil area,” the prime minister said.

On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to remove YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorists from Afrin region. On March 18, Day 58 of the operation, Turkish troops, and Free Syrian Army members liberated the town of Afrin.

About a possible joint operation with Iran, Yıldırım said: “Iran expects to work with us all the time, including sharing intelligence, but it is naturally reluctant to launch a joint counter-terror operation within its borders.”