AM:10:17:21/07/2022
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SULAIMANI — The Iraqi National Security
Council on Wednesday (July 20) demanded Turkish forces withdraw from Iraqi
territory following an emergency meeting held by the council in response to the
bombardment of a tourist resort in Zakho that led to the death of nine civilians.
The Prime Minister of Iraq, Mustafa
al-Kadhimi chaired the emergency meeting where the council came to a list of
eight decisions, including demanding an apology from Turkey and summoning the
Turkish ambassador to inform him of the allegations, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.
The council also made the decision to recall
Iraq’s charge d’affairs in Ankara and to cease the procedures on dispatching a
new ambassador to the Turkish capital.
During the meeting, the council also said
it would ask Joint Operations Command to prepare a report on the situation at
the Iraq-Turkey border in order to take necessary measures for the area’s
defense, and stated there was also a decision made to coordinate with the Kurdistan
Regional Government (KRG) on the necessary precautions against further such
incidents.
In addition, the council said it would check
on the situation of the victims of the attack and compensate those who suffered
due to the bombardment, according to the statement.
Iraqi authorities stated following the
meeting that a complaint would be made to the UN Security Council and that they
demand an apology from Turkey over the attack.
Kadhimi said Iraq has the right to respond
to attacks from Turkey and that it would take the necessary action to protect
its citizens.
Turkey has denied responsibility for Wednesday’s
attack in Zakho and claimed the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was spreading
disinformation to compensate for its defeats in operations carried out by the
Turkish military, Anadolu Agency said.
The Turkish foreign ministry said it has
asked for Iraqi officials to cooperate in an investigation on discovering those
responsible for the incident, and insisted Turkey was against attacks on
civilians, according to Anadolu.
The People’s Defense Forces (HPG), the
military wing of the PKK, condemned the attack in a statement on Thursday and
said there was no force affiliated with the PKK in the area where the bombardment
occurred.
Nine people were killed in the attack on
Parakhe resort in Duhok’s Zakho administration on Wednesday, the majority Arab
tourists. A one-year-old child was among those killed and more than twenty
people were wounded in the bombardment.
(NRT Digital Media)