:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/MAM5BM4MTAA435SQXWSEKSP3ZM.jpg "Turkey ordered to withdraw troops following attack on holiday resort in Iraq")
Iraq has demanded Turkey withdraw its troops from the country and halted plans to appoint an ambassador to Ankara, blaming the Turkish military for a deadly artillery attack on a popular tourist destination in northern Iraq. country.
“Turkey ignored Iraqi demands to stop violations against our sovereignty and the security of our citizens, and to respect the principle of good neighborliness,” the Iraqi National Security Council said.
“We call on Turkey to issue an official apology and withdraw its military troops from all Iraqi territories.”
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city of Karbala. AFP” src=”https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/cJAhok7cKTP9TLeCJ3Xn1rlFR3I=/1440×0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/thenational/GA2GSPQ66KK6RA66HFMXGBDC6A.jpg” width=”1440″ height=”0″ loading=”lazy”/>The council held an emergency session on Wednesday evening, shortly after at least eight people were killed and 28 others injured in Dohuk province in the Kurdistan region.
Dohuk Governor Ali Tatar said on Thursday that the bodies of the victims would be flown to Baghdad from Erbil, capital of the Kurdish region.
The victims – three men, three women and two children – are believed to be from southern Iraq and were vacationing in the resort town of Barkh.
The mountainous area is often the target of Turkish military campaigns targeting hiding places belonging to militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Turkey has established, without the consent of the federal government in Baghdad, several military posts in the Kurdistan region since the 1990s, including a military base in the city of Bashiqa after Mosul was captured by IS extremists in 2014 There is no official tally of the number of Turkish troops in Iraq, but some Kurdish and Iraqi media estimate there are around 250.
Turkey says troops are only in Iraq to fight PKK fighters, accusing the militants of carrying out cross-border operations and shelling against Turkish troops.
Ankara says its military posts and troops are in the area in coordination with Kurdish authorities.
Iraqi officials said on Wednesday that at least four shells hit the resort area of the town of Zakho, located a few kilometers from the border with Turkey.
The National Security Council said it had ordered troops on the border with Turkey to “take all necessary measures for self-defense”.
“We have decided to recall the Iraqi charge d’affaires for consultation, to stop the appointment of a new [Iraqi] ambassador to Turkey and file an urgent complaint with the UN Security Council,” the NSC said.
“Iraq will not allow its territories to be used as a launching pad for attacks against any country, or to be the scene of the settling of scores. Iraq categorically rejects the presence of any terrorist or militant organization in its territories.
Turkey denied responsibility for the attack and called for a joint investigation with the Iraqi government.
He claimed that forces belonging to the PKK were behind the attacks.
But the People’s Defense Forces (HPG), the armed wing of the PKK, said in a statement carried by the Kurdish news site Rudaw that they had none of their fighters in the area of the attack, that they blamed on the Turkish army.
The PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the EU after a series of bombings and attacks on civilians in southeastern Turkey during more than four decades of conflict . A ceasefire between the PKK and Turkey broke down in 2015 after two and a half years.
Turkey also considers Kurdish-led militant and political groups in Syria to be affiliated with the PKK.
Turkey has launched military operations and airstrikes on PKK strongholds in the mountains of northern Iraq for years and is threatening to carry out a fourth incursion into northeast Syria.
Civilian casualties in northern Iraq have been reported and documented in several attacks in recent years.
On Wednesday evening, Iraqis posted their photos and videos on social media as they burned Turkish flags in the cities of Baghdad, Karbala and Nasiriyah.
Iraqi riot police lined up outside the Turkish Embassy as protesters gathered late into the night, chanting against Turkey and demanding decisive action from their government in response to the attack.
Updated: July 21, 2022, 09:17
