ANKARA, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday warned about a possible military intervention in northern Iraq if the Turkmen there gets targeted following an independence referendum in the region.
"Turkish army will intervene immediately if our Turkmen brothers there are physically targeted," Cavusoglu said in a televised interview with local AHaber news network.
His remarks came amid an controversial independence referendum held by Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq on Monday.
"Nothing will be the same as before if the KRG does not listen to Turkey's advice and warnings," Cavusoglu said.
The foreign minister said Turkey would no longer provide "military training support to the Peshmerga forces."
"From now on, we will engage primarily with the Baghdad administration," he noted.
Cavusoglu reiterated that Turkey considers the referendum as "null and void," adding it is "against the constitution of Iraq."
Early Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry released a statement warning that Turkey would take "every measure" under international law if the Iraqi Kurds independence referendum endangered its national security.
Despite opposition and threats from Turkey, Iran, the United States and others, Iraqi Kurds in the Kurdish autonomous region and other disputed territories went to the polls on the day for a referendum on whether to break away from Baghdad.
