Turkish base in northern Iraq targeted with rockets for second time

MOSUL, Iraq — Under the pretext of fighting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (Partiya Karkerên Kurdistan, PKK), Turkey continues to expand its military footprint in northern Iraq, deforesting the border area and constructing military bases.

As Turkey’s presence grows, so do tensions. A security source stated that four rockets landed in the vicinity of the Zlikan camp in Bashiqa district, north of the city of Mosul, where the Turkish forces are present. No material losses or casualties had been recorded, according to the source.

The source indicated that the rockets were launched from Bashiqa, but fell near the village of Jibran, three km from the camp. Only two of the four rockets exploded.

This was the second targeting of the camp. Three months ago, rockets also targeted the camps.

Member of the Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee Amer al-Fayez told Shafak News Agency that the upcoming Baghdad summit meeting of the regional countries will discuss many important dossiers in the region, especially with regard stopping the attacks on Iraq.

“The Iraqi government will discuss, during the summit meeting, the dossier of the Turkish aggression in Iraq and work to end its military intervention, in addition to putting an end to external interference in the country’s internal affairs,” al-Fayez said.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, carrying with him a summit invitation letter from Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.