Zebari, quoted by the BBC website, said that Iraq did not approve the Turkish raid, which should end "as soon as possible."

"This is a limited military incursion into a remote, isolated and uninhabited region," Zebari said.

"But if it goes on, I think it could destabilise the region, because really one mistake could lead to further escalation."

He added that the Iraqi government had only been informed "in the last minute" before the raid, which began Thursday.

Zebari said Turkish troops had destroyed a number of bridges, despite promising Baghdad that they would "avoid targeting the infrastructure," the BBC added.

On Saturday, Turkish troops continued to crack down on Kurdish rebels in neighbouring Iraq on the third day of a major ground offensive.

The Turkish military said at least 35 Kurdish rebels and two soldiers were killed in clashes on Saturday.

While the military claimed the operation had sown panic amongst the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the separatist group raised the stakes by threatening retaliatory attacks in city centres inside Turkey.