Turkish soldier killed in rocket attack on Bashiqa base

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A Turkish soldier has been killed in a rocket attack on a base in Nineveh province on Wednesday night, the Turkish defence ministry has said.

"Our base in northern Iraq's Bashiqa... One of the three rockets landed at the base while two others landed in the [Gudad] village," the Turkish defense ministry said in a statement. 

One Turkish soldier died and a young villager was injured, the statement added.

Four rockets were fired at the Zilkan military base 10 kilometres away from the town of Bashiqa. The base is home to Turkish personnel. One of the rockets landed inside the base and the other three landed just outside it, Sardar Yahya, mayor of the nearby town of Shekhan said. 

Two civilians were injured by the rocket fire, according to Rudaw reporter Nasir Ali. Among them is twelve-year-old Faiza Mahmood, who was taken to a hospital in Shekhan, where she is being treated for her injuries. She is from the village of Gudad, close to the Zilkan base.

Turkish soldiers have been at the base for several years, despite calls from Iraqi officials for them to leave the base.

It is not yet clear if the rocket fire is related to the attack on Erbil International Airport that also took place on Wednesday night. Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani condemned both.

“I condemn in the strongest terms tonight’s terror attacks on Erbil International Airport and Turkish military base in Bashiqa, and I condemn the terror group behind them,” PM Barzani said. “These recent attacks are a blatant attempt to undermine our security at home and our cooperation with the global coalition.”

“Any armed groups which are not operating within the official Iraqi security forces must be withdrawn from the Kurdistan Region border. Over the coming days, I will hold talks with Iraqi and international partners on practical ways to make this happen.”  

Updated at 1:19 am on April 15, 2021