On 20 July 2022, the Barakh

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

resort in the

Zakho District Zakho District (, ) is a district in northwestern Dohuk Governorate in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city of Zakho is the administrative center An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county ...

of the

Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous Federal regions of Iraq, federal region of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurds, Kurdish-majority governorates of Arabs, Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...

of Iraq was shelled with four or five

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

strikes. The attack killed nine civilians, including two children, and injured 33 others. The Iraqi federal government and Kurdish authorities claim that

Turkish Armed Forces The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF; , TSK) are the armed forces, military forces of the Turkey, Republic of Turkey. The TAF consist of the Turkish Army, Land Forces, the Turkish Navy, Naval Forces and the Turkish Air Force, Air Forces. The Chief of ...

was behind the attack, while the

Turkish government The Government of Turkey () is the national government of Turkey. It is governed as a unitary state under a presidential representative democracy and a constitutional republic within a pluriform multi-party system. The term government can me ...

denied this and suspected PKK to be responsible. The Iraqi Foreign Minister claimed that the PKK was not in the area at the time of the attack and that it was Turkey that attacked. All of the victims were

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

tourists from central and southern parts of Iraq.

Aftermath

The

Government of Iraq The government of Iraq is defined under the current Constitution of Iraq, Constitution, approved in 2005, as a Democracy in Iraq, democratic, Parliamentary system, parliamentary republic with Islam as the official state religion. The government i ...

and United Nations both denounced the attack and ordered an investigation into what had happened. Both the autonomous Kurdish region and federal authorities, including

Prime Minister of Iraq The prime minister of the Republic of Iraq is the head of government of Iraq and the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces. On 27 October 2022, Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani became the incumbent prime minister. History The prime minist ...

Mustafa Al-Kadhimi Mustafa Abdul Latif Mishatat (; born 5 July 1967), known as Mustafa al-Kadhimi is an Iraqi politician, lawyer, bureaucrat and former intelligence officer who served as the Prime Minister of Iraq, prime minister of Iraq from May 2020 to October ...

placed the culpability on the

. The cabinet instructed the Minister of the Exterior to summon the Turkish envoy to Iraq and to demand its Iraqi counterpart in Turkey to come to Baghdad for consultation. Turkey denied responsibility for the attack and instead suspected terrorist groups to be responsible, offering to open a collaborative investigation into the incident. Turkish consular offices issuing visas were closed down by protests in

Najaf Najaf is the capital city of the Najaf Governorate in central Iraq, about 160 km (99 mi) south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2024 is about 1.41 million people. It is widely considered amongst the holiest cities of Shia Islam an ...

as well as in

Kerbala Karbala is a major city in central Iraq. It is the capital of Karbala Governorate. With an estimated population of 691,100 people in 2024, Karbala is the second largest city in central Iraq, after Baghdad. The city is located about southwest ...

, and the Turkish Embassy in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

was besieged. The protesters demanded the Turkish ambassador to be expelled.

Responses

Iraq

* Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi chaired an emergency meeting with the National Security Council with the goal of filing a complaint to the United Nations, as well as summoning Turkish ambassador. *The

Iraqi Communist Party The Iraqi Communist Party ( '; ) is a communist party and the oldest active party in Iraq. Since its foundation in 1934, it has dominated the left in Iraqi politics. It played a prominent role in shaping the political history of Iraq between it ...

stated that, ''While calling on international organisations and governments in the world to condemn the barbaric Turkish aggression, we also call on the Iraqi government not to allow this criminal act pass without a diplomatic and political response worthy of the blood of the innocent people, and to ensure that Turkish attacks on Iraqi territory are not repeated.''.

Other countries

* : Canadian Ambassador to Iraq Gregory Galligan said received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "I would like to convey my condolences to all the families and friends of the dead and wounded in today's bombing in Zakho, Iraq." * : A statement by the

German Foreign Ministry The Federal Foreign Office (, ; abbreviated AA) is the foreign ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany, a federal agency responsible for both the country's foreign policy and its relationship with the European Union. It is a cabinet-level ...

, received by the

Iraqi News Agency The Iraqi News Agency (INA), () was established in March 1959 during the era of Abdul Karim Qasim and headquartered in Baghdad. It is the second news agency among Arab countries in the region after the Middle East News Agency in Egypt, which wa ...

(INA), stated that "Germany condemns the Turkish bombing of civilian sites in Zakho, northern Iraq, which killed a number of defenseless civilians." * : The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), that "the Arab Republic of Egypt extends its sincere condolences to brotherly Iraq for the victims of the brutal attack that targeted a tourist resort in the Dohuk Governorate in Iraqi Kurdistan, which resulted in the death and injury of a number of civilian Iraqis." * : The spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Kanaani, condemned the "bombing of the Iraqi city of Zakho, which resulted in deaths and injuries of citizens." * : The Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's condemnation and denunciation of the attack on brotherly Iraq, which targeted the Dohuk Governorate in northern Iraq.". * : The spokesperson of the ruling party, Ömer Çelik, said the following about the issue: "The Turkish Armed Forces is the most sensitive army in the world to protect civilians. Even in the most difficult conditions, the Turkish Armed Forces showed this sensitivity. It is clear that it is a typical PKK attack, from the weapon used and the method." * : UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office condemned the bombing, stating "The United Kingdom is deeply concerned about reports of civilian casualties as a result of an attack in Zakho area in Dohuk on July 20," the FCO added "We extend our deepest condolences to those affected and express our support to the Iraqi authorities in their investigation," noting that the United Kingdom "deplores the loss of life and will continue to support the stability of Iraq, including the Kurdistan region of Iraq." * :

Ned Price Edward Price (born November 22, 1982) is an American diplomat, political advisor and former intelligence officer who served as the deputy to the United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2024 to 2025. In this role, he is considered a D ...

US department of state The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

Spokesperson has condemned the attack, stating "The killing of civilians is unacceptable, and all states must respect their obligations under international law, including the protection of civilians."

International organisations

Arab League The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...

: The spokesman for the

pointed out that "the Arab League supports Iraq in rejecting and condemning the Turkish attacks, and that it condemns any encroachment or violation of the sovereignty of any of the Arab countries." * :

United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) was formed on 14 August 2003 by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1500 at the request of the Iraqi government to support national development efforts. UNAMI's mandate includ ...

condemned the deadly artillery shelling, stating "Under international law, attacks must not be directed at the civilian population. UNAMI therefore calls for a thorough investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the attack, and emphasizes that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Iraq must be respected at all times."

References