At least there are nine people dead and 23 were injured following a bombing attack by Turkish planes this Wednesday. It’s around the town of Zajo in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, according to local officials. Turkish bombardment allegations targeting many touristic places in the city of Zajo, would reach a group of about 200 tourists He came from the capital, Baghdad, where children will be among them, Kurdish television channel Rudaw reported.
Muhsin Bashir, Mayor of Zaho, blamed Turkey He is accused of carrying out multiple attacks on the village of Paraj and claimed that suspected members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the vicinity may have triggered the shelling. Likewise, Iraqi Prime Minister Mostafá al Kazemi denounced Turkey’s “brutal attack” as “a clear and flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty”, before emphasizing that Baghdad “reserves the right to reply”, as detailed on his Twitter account. . “Turkish forces have once again violated the sovereignty of Iraq, the lives and security of Iraqi citizens… Iraq reserves its full right to respond to these attacks and will take all necessary measures to protect its people.” Get detailed, Kazemi.
On your own behalf Turkey denied the accusations The Iraqis assured that they oppose any action against the civilian population and that they are fighting terrorism “in accordance with International Law”. “These attacks targeting innocent civilians are considered to be organized by the terrorist organization, which undermines our country’s (PKK) fair and determined stance in the fight against terrorism,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. it was said. Likewise, he urged the country’s authorities “not to make statements under the influence of rhetoric and the treacherous terrorist organization and to cooperate in revealing the true authors of this tragic event”.
UN calls for “comprehensive” investigation
The UN mission in Iraq (UNAMI) “strongly condemned the deadly artillery shelling” of Zajo on Wednesday and expressed its “deepest condolences” to the families of the victims. In a statement made by the organization, “Civilians are once again exposed to the indiscriminate effects of explosive weapons. According to International Law, attacks should not be directed against the civilian population.”
Likewise, UNAMI stressed that Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity should be “respected at all times” and called for a “comprehensive investigation” to determine the circumstances surrounding the attack.
During her recent briefing at the Security Council, UN special envoy to Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert urged all parties to end human rights abuses “without delay”. “What are we seeing? Shooting and missiles as the new normal for Iraq? It’s a very risky way to advance interests, and it further weakens the Iraqi State,” said the UN’s special envoy in the country.
Turkey announced in mid-April that it had launched a new offensive against the PKK in Iraqi KurdistanIn northern Iraq, described by Baghdad as a “national security threat” because operations were not coordinated. The Turkish Army has repeatedly conducted military operations against the PKK and its allies in northern Syria since the ceasefire between the Government and the armed group broke down in July 2015.