Turkish warplanes continue to bombard northern Iraq despite global outcry

Kurdish-language media outlets reported that Turkish fighter jets targeted the Amadiya district in the northern Iraqi province of Dohuk on Wednesday. 

There were no immediate reports about possible casualties and the extent of damage caused after the bombardment. 

The aerial attack came a day after Shafaq News reported that Turkish jets had repeatedly struck the outskirts of Sekiri village in the Amadiya district.

On July 20, at least four missiles hit the resort area of Barakh in the Zakho district of the Kurdistan region, killing at least nine tourists and wounding more than 20, local officials and the Iraqi army said at the time. All the victims were Iraqi citizens.

The victims reportedly included Iraqi tourists who had come to the area to escape sweltering temperatures in southern parts of the country.

The aerial aggression sparked global outcry with many countries calling on Ankara to respect Iraq’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The members of the UN Security Council also condemned the attack in “strongest terms”, said the UN statement.  

“The members of the Security Council expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region,” the statement added.

Following the attack that sent shock waves across the region, Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi dispatched the country’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and top security officials to the site, and ordered an investigation into the incident.

“Turkish forces have perpetrated once more a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty,” Kadhimi wrote on his Twitter page, condemning the harm caused to “the life and security” of Iraqi citizens.

“Iraq reserves the right to retaliate against this aggression and take all necessary measures to protect our people,” he added.