The Turkish consulate in Mosul was attacked on Wednesday as Ankara rejected Iraq’s demand to withdraw its troops from Kurdistan. The incident occurred almost a week after Turkish missiles hit a civilian centre in Duhok, killing nine people.
AFP reported that areas near the Turkish consulate came under intense shelling. While vehicles parked near the consulate were destroyed, no casualties were reported. It was not clear who was responsible for the attack.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also confirmed the attack and called on Iraqi authorities to bring those who orchestrated the attack to justice “as soon as possible.” Condemning the incident in the “strongest terms possible,” the ministry demanded that “Iraqi authorities fulfil their responsibilities in protecting diplomatic and consular missions.”
Blast walls and armoured vehicles have gone up around the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad. The consulate in Mosul has already been attacked, after a fatal bombardment of a tourist resort that Iraq has blamed on Turkey.
— Lizzie Porterلِيزي بورتر (@lcmporter) July 27, 2022
The statement also urged Baghdad “to focus on the fight against terrorism and to put an end to terrorist presence on their territory which poses a threat to neighbouring countries and diplomatic missions,” in reference to the presence of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in northern Iraq.
On July 20, Turkish forces fired four missiles at a resort in Zakho city in Duhok, killing nine tourists and injuring over 30 people. The incident led to a diplomatic spat between Turkey and Iraq, with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi calling on Turkey to apologise for the “brutal attack.” Iraq summoned Turkey’s ambassador to Baghdad and demanded that Ankara remove its soldiers.
Since then, massive protests have broken out across Iraq against Turkey’s military presence in Kurdistan. Protesters burnt Turkish flags and even took down the Turkish banner at its old embassy in Baghdad. Demonstrators called on their government to boycott Turkish products and ban tourists from entering the country.
The Iraqi National Olympic Committee also withdrew from the Islamic Solidarity Games to be held in the Turkish city of Konya from August 9 to 18. “We can’t take part in a championship named Islamic Solidarity while the blood of our sons has been shed,” the committee said.
Photos show the Turkish consulate complex in #Mosul that was hit by Katyusha rockets yesterday.#Iraq #Turkey pic.twitter.com/crz2G6wMG9
— خالد اسكيف (@khalediskef) July 27, 2022
Following Iraqi demands, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) called an emergency meeting to discuss the escalation of tensions between Ankara and Baghdad. UN Assistance Mission for Iraq chief Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said the “horrific attack […] demonstrates a shocking disregard for civilian life.”
During the meeting, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein demanded that Ankara take its fight with the PKK outside Iraq and withdraw its forces from Kurdistan. Hussein also called on the UNSC to conduct an official investigation into the incident.
Turkey rejected Hussein’s demands and vowed to continue fighting against the PKK. Turkish Deputy Ambassador to the UN Öncü Keçeli claimed that “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq is breached by terrorist organisations, not by Turkey.” He said that the PKK launched 339 attacks against Turkey from Iraqi soil in the first six months of this year.
“Iraq has so far proven to be either unable or unwilling to fight the terrorists,” Keçeli said, adding that Turkey cannot be blamed for defending itself against terrorist threats. He also denied that Turkey was behind the missile attack in Zakho and blamed the PKK for launching the rockets.
🎥 Angry Iraqi citizens burned the Turkish flag in Mosul. pic.twitter.com/RI5siJdyyN
— Narcisa (@negar_1358) July 21, 2022
Keçeli stressed that Ankara is willing to investigate the incident with Iraqi authorities and urged Baghdad not to escalate tensions further and deepen divisions. “Turkey is ready to take all the steps to unveil the truth,” he declared.
Turkey and the PKK have been waging a decades-old war against each other. While the PKK claims it is fighting for Kurdish sovereignty, Ankara insists that the group is a “terrorist” organisation and needs to be eliminated. Since the PKK has been fighting Turkey from Iraqi Kurdistan, Ankara has continuously launched several military campaigns to remove the PKK from Iraq.
To this end, Turkey has intensified its assault on the PKK in Iraq over the last year. In April 2021, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the launch of Operation Claw Lightning and Claw Thunderbolt to eliminate “terrorist threats” from Iraq and Syria. A year later, Turkey launched Operation Claw Lock to prevent the PKK from using Iraqi soil to attack Turkey.