Iraq has decided to recall its charge d'affaires from Ankara for consultations and summoned the Turkish ambassador over the deadly bombardment on a northern Iraqi resort.
The Iraqi Ministerial Council for National Security announced the decisions after holding an emergency meeting on the artillery strikes that killed at least nine tourists and wounded 23 others earlier on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.
Iraq accused Turkiye of striking the resort in Duhok Province of its semi-autonomous region, a charge Ankara has denied.
"Turkiye disregards Iraq's demands to stop the violations against Iraq's sovereignty and disrespects the principle of good neighborliness," the Iraqi ministerial council said in a statement, urging Turkiye to submit an official apology and withdraw its forces from all Iraqi territories.
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The council also decided to pause dispatching a new ambassador to Turkiye in protest of the attack, and order the filing of a complaint to the United Nations Security Council.
Ankara regularly carries out cross-border military actions into northern Iraq, claiming to target the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkiye, the US and the EU.
Turkiye denies responsibility for deadly bombardment on Iraqi resort
Turkiye has denied responsibility for a deadly bombardment on a resort in Iraq's semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, urging Iraqi authorities to keep off the "influence and propaganda" of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)."Turkiye carries out its fight against terrorism in accordance with international law, with the utmost sensitivity to the protection of civilians, civilian infrastructure, historical and cultural assets and nature," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement, calling the resort bombardment "a terror act".
"Turkiye is ready to take all steps to shed light on the truth," the ministry noted, calling on Iraqi authorities to cooperate with Ankara to find the "real perpetrators of the attack", Xinhua news agency reported.
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An artillery bombardment hit a resort in Parakh village in the Zakho area in Iraq's Duhok Province on Wednesday, killing nine and wounding 23 others, all of them tourists, official Iraqi News Agency reported.
Iraqi state media said the bombardment was carried out by Turkish forces.
In April, the Turkish army launched a ground and air offensive against the PKK targets across its borders in the Metina, Zap, and Avasin-Basyan regions of Iraq's Duhok Province.
The Turkish forces frequently carry out ground operations, airstrikes, and artillery bombardments in Iraq's Kurdistan, especially the Qandil Mountains, the main base of the PKK rebels.
The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and the European Union, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than three decades.
