Turkish military base targeted in Iraq, no casualties

Erbil-based Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD) said that the attack targeted the Turkish military base in the Zilkan subdistrict of the Nineveh Province. The attack came from the city of Hima near Mosul and five rockets were fired, of which two failed to reach their targets.

Of the three rockets that successfully launched, one fell near the Turkish base while the other two landed in a nearby village according to the statement. “The attack did not cause any casualties or material damage,” said the CTD.

Mohammed Amin Gharib, the mayor of Zilkan, had earlier announced that a single rocket was fired at the Turkish base, Rudaw reported.

The Iranian-backed militia group “Ahrar al-Iraq Brigade” claimed responsibility for the attack according to Baghdad-based Shafaq News.

The group said that the attack was in retaliation for the victims of the attack in Duhok. “We claim responsibility for the attack against the Turkish occupation base in Zilkan, carried out with 122mm Grad-type missiles. And this is only the beginning,” the statement said.

This is the second attack targeting a Turkish military base in Iraq since the shelling of Zakho in Northern Iraq. The attack killed nine civilians and injured 22. Iraq’s central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government blamed the Turkish Army for the attack but Ankara denied the claims.

Iraqis took to the streets following the attack, gathering around the Turkish Embassy in Baghdad and a Turkish visa application center in Karbala. Protesters burned the Turkish flag and called for retaliation.