Turkey says its consulate in Iraq's Mosul attacked

Turkey's consulate general in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul was attacked by mortar fire early on Wednesday but there were no casualties, the Turkish foreign ministry said.

“"We once again reiterate our call to the Iraqi authorities to focus on the fight against terrorism and to put an end to terrorist presence on their territory," a statement by the ministry read. 

The attack coincided with a United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss an attack that killed nine tourists including three children in a summer resort in Duhok, northern Iraq.

In the meeting, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein blamed the Duhok attack on Turkey and asked the council to oblige Turkey to withdraw forces from Iraqi soil and pay compensation for the damage done to unarmed civilians.

Turkey regularly carries out air strikes in northern Iraq and in April started a ground offensive against the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) based in the region. The PKK has been waging a war against the Turkish state for Kurdish rights since 1984 and it is regarded as a terrorist group by Turkey, the US and the EU.