The Consulate General of Turkey in Mosul was attacked on Wednesday morning. The news was reported by the Turkish media and confirmed by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The attack follows deadly artillery fire at a mountain recreation park in Iraq’s Dohuk province on July 20, killing eight tourists – including a 12-month-old baby – and seriously injuring 23 others. 

The Iraqi government has accused Turkish forces of carrying out the attack, a charge Ankara has denied. Of course, Turkey regularly conducts airstrikes in northern Iraq and has sent special forces to support its attacks against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants based there.

Several buildings were damaged when four mortars and/or rockets hit the area near the consulate building and its perimeter, damaging cars parked on the street. 

The responsibility for the attack was claimed by members of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, who not only attacked and seized the Turkish consulate, but also took 48 hostages, who have been transferred to the organization’s headquarters in Mosul. Among them are the Turkish consul, three children, and several members of Turkey’s special forces. 

On Tuesday, another 28 truck drivers from Turkey were arrested in Mosul. According to government officials, efforts are being made to ensure the safety of the lives of those working at the consulate.

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Turkey’s Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called the Deputy Prime Minister and the deputy commander of the MIT national intelligence agency to an urgent meeting on the matter.

“We condemn this attack in the strongest possible way and expect those responsible to be brought to justice as soon as possible,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement, calling on “the Iraqi authorities to fulfill their responsibility to protect diplomats and consular missions.”

“It is also serious and troubling that this attack took place during the UN Security Council meeting organized at the invitation of the Iraqi authorities, at a time when our country is being unfairly accused and targeted,” the statement concludes.

With information from: Reuters, AFP, Aljazeera

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