Turkish Artillery Attack Kills 8 Tourists in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region

Up to eight people were killed and 23 wounded Wednesday in a Turkish artillery bombardment on a resort in Duhok province, in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, the Iraqi military said. The attack occurred at 1:50 pm local time (10:50 am GMT) and hit a park at a resort in Parakh village in the Zakho area. Two of the victims were children, and all were tourists, the media office of the Joint Operations Command said in a statement. Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-chief Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered an immediate investigation into the incident. Turkey has yet to comment on the incident. Turkish forces frequently carry out ground operations, airstrikes, and artillery bombardments in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, particularly in the Qandil Mountains, which are a Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) stronghold. Turkey, the US, and the EU consider the PKK to be a terrorist organization.