Baghdad urges Security Council session, int'l decision against Turkey
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The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms that Baghdad is to request a special session in the Security Council and an international resolution against Turkey's bombing of the northern province of Dohuk.
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Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Thursday that Baghdad is moving to request a special session in the Security Council to issue an international resolution on Turkey's bombing of the northern Iraqi province of Dohuk.
"We moved to request a special session of the Security Council to discuss the crime and issue an international resolution," a statement issued by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, as quoted by the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
"All indications confirm Turkey's responsibility for the attack, and its denial is a dark joke... and we are moving with the aim of consolidating a strong position that prevents the recurrence of such attacks and puts a definitive end to them," the statement added.
"We contacted the Permanent Representation of Iraq in New York, and the Security Council will be asked to hold an emergency session to discuss the Turkish aggression," which is "the most threatening in the series of Turkish attacks in Iraq."
Iraq holds Turkey fully responsible
The Iraqi Security Ministerial Council announced earlier today that it had submitted a complaint to the Security Council regarding the Turkish attack on the tourist resort.
In a tweet, Al-Sadr suggested reducing diplomatic ties with Ankara, closing airports and land border crossings, filing an official complaint to the United Nations, and canceling all security agreements with Turkey.
The Iraqi leader considered that Turkey has increased its impudence, thinking that Iraq can only respond with a weak condemnation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Similarly, a number of deputies in the Iraqi parliament demanded expelling the Turkish ambassador in Baghdad, severing trade exchange with Turkey, and boycotting Turkish goods.
Iraqis mourned the victims of the bombing on Thursday before their bodies were transported by a military plane from Dohuk to Erbil Airport and finally landed at Baghdad International Airport.
On the other hand, Ankara denied responsibility for the attack and accused the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) of responsibility for the bombing.
On Wednesday, nine civilians, including at least two children, were killed and 23 were injured in a tourist resort in the Iraqi Kurdistan region by artillery fire that Iraq blamed on Turkey. The victims included Iraqi tourists who had come to the hill village of Parakh in Zakho district to escape sweltering temperatures further south in the country, according to Mushir Bashir, the head of Zakho region.
Angry protests against Turkey
The deaths prompted angry demonstrations against Turkey in cities across Iraq.
On Wednesday, several Iraqi cities and governorates witnessed demonstrations condemning the targeting of civilians in the Dohuk bombing, where demonstrators burned Turkish flags and raised pictures criticizing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In Baghdad, dozens of demonstrators protested outside the Turkish visa office early Thursday, as protesters chanted slogans demanding the expulsion of the Turkish ambassador, an AFP journalist reported.
