Civilians killing 'unacceptable,' says US after deadly Zakho bombardment

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US late Wednesday said the killing of civilians is “unacceptable” following the death of several people in a bombardment that targeted a tourist site in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province which Erbil and Baghdad blamed on neighboring Turkey.

Condemning the deadly bombardment, the US State Department said “the killing of civilians is unacceptable, and all states must respect their obligations under international law, including the protection of civilians,” while expressing its continuous support for Iraq and the Region’s “sovereignty … security, stability, and prosperity.” 

At least nine civilians, including children, were killed and 23 others were injured as a result of artillery fire that struck a tourist resort in Duhok’s Zakho district on Wednesday afternoon.

Erbil and Baghdad blamed Turkey for the offense, but the allegations have been denied by Ankara, who invited Baghdad to avoid making statements influenced by "terrorist propaganda".

The Turkish embassy in Iraq on Thursday sent its condolences to the victims, claiming they were killed "at the hands of PKK." 

The victims were Iraqi tourists who had flocked to Duhok to escape the searing summer hit from central and southern Iraq. The youngest victim was one-year-old.

Their bodies will be sent to Erbil airport and from there to Baghdad, Duhok Governor Ali Tatar said on Thursday.

Sixteen of those injured remain in the hospital and are in stable conditions, head of Zakho health department Shakir Abdulrahman told Rudaw’s Naif Ramadhan on Thursday morning. 

The armed wing of the PKK, the People’s Defense Forces (HPG), blamed Ankara for the deadly offense late Wednesday while denying the presence of PKK-affiliates at the attack site. 

Iraqi and Kurdish officials harshly criticized the attack, with Baghdad stating that it was recalling its charges d'affaires from Ankara and summoning Turkey’s ambassador.

Baghdad also demanded an official apology from Turkey along with “the withdrawal of its armed forces from all Iraqi territory.”

Iraq Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who announced Thursday a national day of mourning, deemed the artillery fire a “blatant and flagrant violation” of sovereignty.

Statements from Kurdish leaders echoed the same remarks.

“The repeated bombings and continued fighting between the Turkish army and PKK fighters on the borders has been completely rejected and unacceptable,” Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said. 

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said the Region "has been repeatedly dragged into violence by the infighting between Turkey and PKK. It has cost our citizens unnecessary pain, suffering and anxiety. This has to end."

The international community also spoke against the attack.

“The UK is seriously concerned by the reports of civilian casualties resulting from an attack in Zakho district,” the British foreign office said in a statement on Wednesday. 

The German consulate in Erbil said it was “shocked” by the news of the death of “so many civilians” in the attack, urging for an immediate investigation. The German foreign ministry on Thursday afternoon said the attack was "unacceptable." 

The Syrian Democratic Council denounced the attack, emphasizing on cooperation between the Iraqi and Kurdish governments. 

Ankara launched a military operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Duhok province on April 18. It said it was targeting PKK hideouts in the mountainous areas of the province’s Metina, Zap, Avashin, and Basyan.

However, Iraq Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told reporters from the site of the incident on Wednesday that Ankara has been “targeting villages and civilians” instead of fighting the PKK. He was dispatched to the area along with security officials by PM Kadhimi. 

The assault sparked protests in the city of Karbala and Baghdad, where the nine victims came from.

Dozens of people demonstrated in front of a Turkish visa center in both cities, AFP reported. Protestors burned a Turkish flag in Karbala and lowered another in Baghdad.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said it “strongly condemns the attack by Turkish forces,” urging the Iraqi federal government and the international community to cooperate and find a “serious and fundamental” solution to avoid repetition.

Dubbed Operation Claw-Lock, Ankara’s recent operation is the fourth stage of Turkey’s Claw operations against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region with the first stage starting in 2019.

It received widespread criticism from Baghdad, Erbil, and the international community for violating Iraq's sovereignty, with the recent military operation labeled as a "hostile" and "provocative" violation of the country's sovereignty by officials. 

The PKK is an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey and designated a terrorist organization by Ankara.

Despite Ankara's denial, the assaults have previously led to civilian casualties who are often caught in the crossfire in the Region.

Two children were killed during Turkey-PKK clashes in late May. 

International Crisis Group says that the Turkey-PKK conflict has killed at least 597 civilians and 266 "individuals of unknown affiliation" since July 2015. 

Updated at 2:04 pm