Turkey Accuses ‘Terrorists’ of Targeting Civilians in Iraq's Dohuk

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Reuters file photo
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Reuters file photo
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Turkey Accuses ‘Terrorists’ of Targeting Civilians in Iraq's Dohuk

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Reuters file photo
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. Reuters file photo

Turkey has not carried out any attacks targeting civilians in Iraq's Dohuk province, where a strike killed eight and wounded 23, and Iraqi authorities must not fall for this "trap", Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

Turkey on Wednesday rejected claims by Iraqi officials and state media that it had carried out an attack on a mountain resort in the northern Dohuk province.

At least four artillery shells struck the resort area of Barakh in the Zakho district in the semi-autonomous Kurdish-run region.

Hundreds of Iraqi tourists come to the Kurdish region from the south during the peak summer months because the weather is relatively cooler.

Iraq summoned Ankara's ambassador to Baghdad over the attack and its state agency said the government will call back its charge d'affaires in Ankara.

Cavusoglu told state broadcaster TRT Haber the Turkish military operations in Iraq have always been against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), saying the attack on Dohuk was also carried out by what he called terrorists.

Turkey regularly carries out airstrikes in northern Iraq and has sent commandos to support its offensives as part of a long-running campaign in Iraq and Syria against militants of the Kurdish PKK and the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia. Ankara regards both as terrorist groups.

Cavusoglu said reports blaming Turkey for the attack were attempts by the PKK to hinder Ankara's counter-terrorism.

"The whole world knows we would never carry out an attack on civilians," Cavusoglu said, adding the Turkish military had told his ministry that no such attack was carried out by Turkey.

"Following this attack, which we believe the (PKK) terrorist organization carried out, we are ready to hold talks with Iraqi officials. We can cooperate for the curtain of fog to be lifted. Until that is lifted, it is not right to blame Turkey," he said.

The top United Nations envoy to Iraq condemned it and called for an investigation.

“Civilians are once again suffering the indiscriminate effects of explosive weapons. Under international law, attacks must not be directed at the civilian population,” said the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

It called for “a thorough investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the attack.”

Dozens of Iraqis gathered on Wednesday outside the Turkish embassy in Baghdad to protest the attack.

Cavusoglu said that while there were protests outside the embassy and other Turkish offices, there were no reports of damage or injuries.



Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners

Family members waiting for the release of Palestinian prisoners follow developments Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after receiving news that Israel has delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for Saturday, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Family members waiting for the release of Palestinian prisoners follow developments Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after receiving news that Israel has delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for Saturday, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
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Israel Delays Release of Palestinian Prisoners

Family members waiting for the release of Palestinian prisoners follow developments Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after receiving news that Israel has delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for Saturday, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Family members waiting for the release of Palestinian prisoners follow developments Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, after receiving news that Israel has delayed the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners scheduled for Saturday, in the West Bank city of Ramallah. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Israel said early Sunday the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners is delayed “until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies” at handovers of Israeli captives in Gaza.

The statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office came as military vehicles that normally move in advance of the buses carrying prisoners left the open gates of Ofer prison, only to turn around and go back in.

The release of 620 Palestinian prisoners had been delayed for several hours and was meant to occur just after six Israeli hostages were released on Saturday. It was meant to be the largest one-day prisoner release in the Gaza ceasefire’s first phase.

Israel’s announcement abruptly put the future of the truce into further doubt.
The Palestinian Authority’s commission for prisoners’ affairs confirmed the delay “until further notice.” Associated Press video in the West Bank showed prisoners’ families, waiting outdoors in near-freezing weather, apparently dispersing. One woman was shown walking away in tears.

Five of the six hostages freed Saturday had been escorted by masked, armed militants in front of a crowd — a display that the UN and Red Cross have criticized as cruel after previous handovers.
The Israeli statement cited “ceremonies that demean the dignity of our hostages and the cynical use of the hostages for propaganda purposes.” It was likely a reference to a Hamas video showing two hostages who have yet to be released watching a handover in Gaza on Saturday and speaking under duress.
The six were the last living hostages expected to be freed under the ceasefire's first phase, with a week remaining in the initial stage. Talks on the ceasefire’s second phase are yet to start.
The six included three Israeli men seized from the Nova music festival and another taken while visiting family in southern Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the 16-month war in Gaza. The two others were held for a decade after entering Gaza on their own.
Five were handed over in staged ceremonies.

The 620 Palestinian prisoners meant to be freed include 151 serving life or other sentences for attacks against Israelis. Almost 100 would be deported, according to the Palestinian prisoners' media office.
A Palestinian prisoner rights association said they include Nael Barghouti, who spent over 45 years in prison for an attack that killed an Israeli bus driver.
Also meant to be released are 445 men, 23 children aged 15 to 19, and a woman, all seized by Israeli troops in Gaza without charge during the war.