UN headquarters in New York. Photo: Rudaw
NEW YORK, United States - The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday discussed a dispute between Iraq and Turkey over a deadly attack in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province that killed at least nine holidaymakers and wounded dozens of others.
Iraq Foreign Minister Fuad Husein demanded the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Iraqi territory while Turkey’s Deputy Permanent Representative Oncu Keceli said Ankara will keep pursuing members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) station in the mountains of the Region.
Baghdad and Erbil blamed last week’s shelling in Zakho on Turkey, which has repeatedly denied involvement.
Head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said the “horrific attack on a … clearly identifiable tourist site demonstrates a shocking disregard for civilian life” at the start of the session.
Hussein told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda that Iraq “has proof” that the weapons used in the attack were “Turkish.” He has previously stated that“155 mm artillery” was used in the shelling.
The attack initially injured 23 people, but Hussein later raised the toll of those wounded to over 30.
Ankara said the PKK was behind the attack, which is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and the EU. The PKK is an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey.
Hussein in the meeting urged Ankara to take its conflict with the PKK outside the Iraqi land.
“The PKK is also a problem for Iraqi Kurdistan [Kurdistan Region] and Iraq in general. These are two forces, both are military forces [Turkish troops and PKK], their problems are in Turkey, but they have moved their problems to Iraqi Kurdistan [Kurdistan Region,” said Hussein in the meeting.
In return, Turkey’s Deputy Permanent Representative Oncu Keceli blamed Iraqi officials for failing to preserve the sovereignty of their country.
“Iraq has so far proven to be either unable or unwilling” to fight the PKK, said Keceli. “If you cannot control your own country if you are unwilling to fight against the terrorists … then you are siding either directly or indirectly with the terrorists,” he added referring to the PKK which Ankara has designated a terrorist organization.
Ankara has established an increasing number of bases and outposts in the Kurdistan Region, claiming that its presence is aimed at cutting off the path of the PKK and preventing them from crossing into the Kurdish areas of southeast Turkey.
It launched a military operation against the group in Duhok province in April, claiming to target PKK hideouts in the province’s mountainous areas.
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