Turkey renewed its denial of responsibility for the attack that targeted a resort in Iraqi Kurdistan yesterday, killing 9 people and wounding 22 others, at a time when Baghdad blamed Ankara for the bombing and declared Thursday an official day of mourning in the country.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the Turkish channel TRT Haber that "Turkish security forces have never and will not target civilians, and according to information received from our armed forces, we have not carried out any attack against civilians in the Iraqi province of Dohuk."
The Turkish minister called on the Iraqi authorities to avoid falling into the trap of terrorist organizations over the attack, and added that his country stands by the Iraqi government and is working to confront terrorist organizations, which he said continue to target civilians.
Cavusoglu called on the Iraqi authorities to avoid falling into the trap of terrorist organizations (Reuters)
"After this attack, which we believe was carried out by the terrorist organization (PKK), we are ready to hold talks with Iraqi officials. We can cooperate to remove the ambiguity and uncover the circumstances. Until this happens, it is not right to blame Turkey," Cavusoglu said.
Yesterday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry called on the Iraqi authorities to cooperate to reveal the real culprits in the attack in Dohuk.
She stressed that Ankara is against any attack targeting civilians, stressing that Turkey is fighting terrorism in a manner consistent with international law, with great consideration for the lives of civilians, civilian infrastructure and cultural and historical monuments.
The Turkish embassy offered - on its Twitter account - "condolences to our Iraqi brothers who were martyred at the hands of the PKK."
Iraq mourns today for the victims of the bombing of the tourist resort in Zakho (Reuters)
mourning day
On the other hand, Iraq mourns - today, Thursday - the victims of the bombing of the tourist resort in Zakho, which it blamed on Turkey.
The Iraqi authorities sent a military plane to transport the bodies of the victims from Erbil Airport to Baghdad.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi declared Thursday a day of national mourning, while popular anger in Iraq escalated over the incident.
Al-Kazemi had accused the Turkish forces of committing what he described as a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty.
The Prime Minister, Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces @MAKadhimi chairs an emergency meeting of the Ministerial Council for National Security. At the beginning of the meeting, the Council condemned in the strongest terms the brutal Turkish attack that targeted innocent citizens in a tourist resort in Dohuk governorate… pic.twitter.com/Yudxy0racQ
— Media Office of the Prime Minister 🇮🇶 (@IraqiPMO) July 20, 2022
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces @MAKadhimi chairs an emergency meeting of the Ministerial Council for National Security to discuss the repercussions of the Turkish aggression on Dohuk Governorate.
— Media Office of the Prime Minister 🇮🇶 (@IraqiPMO) July 20, 2022
Iraqi President Barham Salih condemned what he said was Turkish bombing in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
In a tweet on Twitter, Saleh considered the bombing a violation of Iraq's sovereignty, and that its repetition was unacceptable and threatened Iraqi national security.
The Iraqi president said - in his tweet - that such actions are contrary to international law and the rules of good neighborliness.
The Turkish bombing of Dohuk, which resulted in the death and injury of a number of our sons, is condemned and denounced, and represents a violation of the country’s sovereignty and a threat to Iraqi national security, and its repetition is totally unacceptable after previous calls to stop such actions contrary to international law and the rules of good neighborliness.
— Barham Salih (@BarhamSalih) July 20, 2022
The President of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, Masrour Barzani, also condemned the bombing of Dohuk Governorate, and said that there was no justification for attacking civilians.
The majority of the victims were from the center and south of the country, who were heading to the mountainous regions of Kurdistan bordering Turkey to escape the summer heat.
Various Iraqi cities, including the capital, Baghdad, witnessed some protests in front of the headquarters of the Turkish embassy, and the protesters called on the Iraqi authorities to respond to the attack in Dohuk Governorate.
Al-Jazeera correspondent said that supporters of the Sadrist movement participated in the protest in front of the visa granting center of the Turkish embassy in the Iraqi capital, where demonstrators managed to lower the Turkish flag from the center.
Similar demonstrations took place on Wednesday night in different regions of the country in front of visa granting centers, such as Kirkuk in the north, and Najaf and Karbala in the south.
Last night, Baghdad escalated the tone by demanding the withdrawal of the Turkish army from its territory, and announced the recall of its charge d'affaires from Ankara, "and stopping the procedures for sending a new ambassador to Turkey," according to an official statement.
Yesterday evening, the Iraqi National Security Ministerial Council decided that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would summon Turkey's ambassador to Iraq, and inform him of the Iraqi government's decision to condemn the "Turkish aggression."
Iraq also decided to file a complaint with the Security Council against Turkey, and directed Al-Kazemi - according to state television - to prepare a comprehensive file of the ongoing Turkish "violations", and submit it to the Security Council.
The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, called for an escalation of the situation with Turkey after the bombing, by closing the Iraqi crossings and airports to Turkey, reducing diplomatic representation between the two countries, and canceling security agreements between the two sides, if Ankara continues with such attacks.
pic.twitter.com/6YDrxNIvc6
— Muqtada al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Sadr (@Mu_AlSadr) July 20, 2022
convictions
Today, Thursday, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, condemned the Turkish attack, and Jamal Rushdie, the official spokesman for the Secretary-General, conveyed his affirmation of the complete rejection of the Turkish attack on Iraqi sovereignty, which represents a clear violation of international law and a flagrant violation of the principles of good neighborliness.
Egypt also offered condolences for the victims of the attack, and expressed "its condemnation in the strongest terms for this heinous attack," stressing "the need to respect the principles and decisions of international law related to the protection of civilians."
Egypt affirmed "its full support for the sovereignty of Iraq, and its support for the measures taken by the Iraqi government to preserve the security and stability of the country and the capabilities of the Iraqi people."
Today, Thursday, the Arab Parliament condemned the Turkish attack, and stressed that it was a flagrant violation of all international conventions and norms.
Iran expressed its condemnation of the Turkish bombing, and stressed the importance of stability for the security of Iraq.
For its part, the US State Department said that it had seen reports of bombing that killed civilians in northern Iraq on Wednesday, calling for the need for any military action to respect Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Germany and Canada called for a thorough investigation into the bombing.
The border areas with Turkey in Iraq are experiencing frequent tension and violence.
In mid-April, Turkey - which has established military bases in northern Iraq for 25 years - announced the implementation of a new operation against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), and the operation - which was called "Claw Lock" - came after the "Tiger Claw" and "Tiger Claw" operations. Eagle Claw" launched by the Turkish army in northern Iraq in 2020.
But these operations exacerbate pressure on relations between Ankara and Baghdad, which accuses Turkey of violating its territorial integrity, even though the two countries are important trading partners.
In late May, two children were killed when rockets fell on orchards in the Kurdistan region.
The Kurdistan Workers' Party - which Ankara and its Western allies classify as a "terrorist" organization - has been waging an insurgency against Turkey since 1984, and is based in remote mountainous areas of Iraq.