Iraq bans landing Turkish planes

Iraq has banned landing rights to Turkish aircraft at its airports in a retaliatory measure following a similar move by Ankara, reportedly taken on the basis of a debt dispute between the two neighboring nations. Iraqi Transport Minister Hadi al-Ameri ordered the ban to begin on Sunday, said the media adviser to the minister, Karim al-Nuri, quoted in an AFP report. He added that the ban would include airports at the autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq. "This is a response to a Turkish decision to stop Iraqi airplanes from landing in Turkish airports," Nuri said.