Eight rockets fired at Turkish military base in Northern Iraq

Several rockets targeted Zilkan military base hosting Turkish troops in northern Iraq on Wednesday morning without resulting in any casualties, the Kurdistan Region’s counter-terrorism forces reported.

The Erbil-based Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD) said that at least eight rockets targeted the military base near the Besik district of Mosul, with two of the rockets landing inside the base, while the others landed in its vicinity.

The Islamic Resistance Ahrar al-Iraq Brigade, an Iran-backed armed faction, claimed responsibility for the attack through its telegram channels, saying they had fired 20 rockets at the military base, threatening to expand their operations into Turkish land, Rudaw reported.

“We declare that our operations are continuing and in continuous development, and will not stop except with the immediate and complete withdrawal of the occupier [Turkish forces],” read a statement from the faction, which also threatened to continue attacks even inside Turkish land.

Zilkan military base has been frequently targeted in recent years, and the attacks are largely attributed to Iran-backed Iraqi militias.

The Islamic Resistance Ahrar al-Iraq Brigade has previously claimed responsibility for several other attacks on military bases hosting Turkish troops in Iraq, including an attack on Zilkan in December.

The presence of Turkish forces in the base has been widely condemned by the Iraqi government, with criticism reaching a peak when a deadly shelling in July blamed on Turkey killed nine Iraqi tourists and injured tens of others.