A strike in Iraqi Kurdistan reignites tension between Baghdad and Ankara

President of Iraq's Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani carries the coffin of an Iraqi man killed in an attack on a hill station in northern Iraq's Dohuk province during a funeral ceremony in Erbil International Airport, in Erbil, Iraq, July 21, 2022. REUTERS - AZAD LASHKARI

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1 min

Iraq declared a day of national mourning on Thursday after nine civilians were killed and 23 others injured in an artillery fire attributed to Turkey in the semi-autonomous province of Kurdistan, in the north of the country. 

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In Iraq, Kurdistan is a region that enjoys a milder climate in summer and is a popular resort area in a country where the mercury is around 50 degrees.

The park affected on Wednesday had therefore attracted a good number of tourists from other regions of the country.

And it is all of Iraq that is in mourning today.

This Thursday, the coffins covered with the Iraqi flag were transported from Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, to Baghdad.

Sign of the emotion aroused by these deaths, the coffin of a child was transported on board the military plane by the Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs and the President of the Kurdistan region.

From Wednesday evening and again this Thursday, anti-Turkish demonstrations took place in several Iraqi cities: Baghdad, Najaf, Karbala or even Kirkuk.

Turkish flags were burned, President Erdogan called a " 

".

Ankara denies any responsibility for its shootings, but

against Kurdish groups in northern Iraq.

And this time, the tone is rising between Baghdad and Ankara.

The Iraqi government has recalled its charge d'affaires in Turkey and is asking for the withdrawal of Turkish forces from its territory.

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• Iraq

• Kurds

• Turkey