Immersed in mourning and anger, Iraq is today burying the victims of the bombing – for which it blames Turkey – which claimed the lives of nine civilians, in a recreation park in Iraqi Kurdistan. A tragedy that increases the tension in the relations between the two neighboring countries.
Baghdad blamed the Turkish armed forces for the strikes, while Ankara denied any responsibility and in turn blamed the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, an organization labeled “terrorist” by Turkey and its Western allies.
The nine coffins, covered in the Iraqi flag and wreaths, were flown by military aircraft from Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, to Baghdad airport where they were received by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazimi.
The Prime Minister met at the airport with the families of the victims. The relatives took the bodies for burial. Most funerals will be held in the city of Najaf, as dictated by Shiite tradition.
Thursday was a day of national mourning for Iraq, following the tragedy in the Zaho region that killed nine people and injured 23 others. Most of the victims were tourists from southern or central Iraq trying to escape the heat and find some coolness in the mountains, on the border with Turkey.
Baghdad summoned Turkey’s ambassador today and handed him a “letter of protest,” according to a statement. In this text he “calls on Turkey to solve its internal problems away from the borders of Iraq and without harming its people”.
Relatives are shocked
In a Baghdad home, Noor was one of the friends who went to condole with the family on the death of Abbas Alaa. The 24-year-old engineer got married a week ago and was on his honeymoon in Kurdistan. “His wife was injured,” Noor said.
When the family returned from the airport in the casket, those present erupted: some crying, some resting their heads on the casket to say their last goodbyes. “It’s a shock for friends, for relatives, we can’t believe it,” Noor said.
For 25 years, Turkey has had dozens of military bases in Iraqi Kurdistan and has frequently launched attacks in northern Iraq against the PKK. These operations on Iraqi soil complicate relations between the two countries, which are close trading partners.
This morning, near a tourist visa center for Turkey, which had been placed under police protection, a few dozen protesters gathered and demanded the expulsion of the Turkish ambassador. “To Turkey and its embassy, we say enough is enough. The peaceful attitude serves nothing, we want to burn the embassy, the Turkish ambassador to be expelled. Our government is not doing anything,” said a 53-year-old man, Ali Yasin.
Similar protests took place on Wednesday night and this morning across the country, from Kirkuk to Karbala and Najaf. Protesters burned and trampled Turkish flags while portraits of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had the word “terrorist” written on them.
Baghdad hardened its tone, demanding the withdrawal of Turkish armed forces from all Iraqi territory. It also announced that it is recalling its charge d’affaires in Ankara for consultations and suspending the process for the appointment of a new ambassador to Turkey.
France and Germany have condemned the attack in Zacho, asking that full light be shed on the case and that those responsible be punished.
Source: RES-MPE
Source: Capital
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