UAE Strongly Condemns Attack on Dohuk in Iraq

A member of security forces walks by at an Iraqi mountain tourist spot which was hit with artillery bombardment in the Zakho district village of Parakh in the north of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region on July 22, 2022. (AFP)
A member of security forces walks by at an Iraqi mountain tourist spot which was hit with artillery bombardment in the Zakho district village of Parakh in the north of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region on July 22, 2022. (AFP)
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UAE Strongly Condemns Attack on Dohuk in Iraq

A member of security forces walks by at an Iraqi mountain tourist spot which was hit with artillery bombardment in the Zakho district village of Parakh in the north of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region on July 22, 2022. (AFP)
A member of security forces walks by at an Iraqi mountain tourist spot which was hit with artillery bombardment in the Zakho district village of Parakh in the north of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region on July 22, 2022. (AFP)

The United Arab Emirates strongly condemned the attack that targeted a tourist area in the Dohuk province in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation stressed the UAE’s strong condemnation of the attack and its permanent rejection of all destabilizing forms of violence.

It expressed the UAE's solidarity with all measures taken by Iraq to protect its sovereignty, security and stability, underling its keenness to ensure the security and stability of Iraq.

The Ministry also expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the government and people of Iraq and to the families of the victims of this heinous crime, and wished a speedy recovery for all the injured.

A Turkish strike on a mountain resort in Dohuk killed nine people and wounded 29 on Wednesday.

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.

Turkey regularly carries out air strikes 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 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish YPG. Ankara regards both as terrorist groups.

Dozens of Iraqis gathered on Wednesday outside the Turkish embassy in Baghdad to protest the attack. The top United Nations envoy to Iraq also condemned it and called for an investigation.

Hundreds of angry Iraqis took to the streets late Thursday to decry the attack.



GCC Welcomes Agreement between Yemen Govt, Houthis

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
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GCC Welcomes Agreement between Yemen Govt, Houthis

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi welcomed on Wednesday the agreement between the legitimate Yemeni government and Iran-backed Houthi militias to de-escalate the situation with regard to the Yemeni banking sector and airlines.

The agreement was announced by the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on Tuesday.

Albudaiwi expressed the GCC's support for all regional and international efforts and the efforts led by the UN special envoy aimed at achieving peace and security in Yemen.

The announcement underscores the importance the international community attaches to the Yemeni crisis, he added, hoping the agreement will pave the way for Yemeni parties to start the political process, under UN auspices, to reach a comprehensive political solution that achieves security and stability in the country.

He reiterated the GCC's continued support and full solidarity with Yemen, its government and people, and its keenness to encourage all efforts to de-escalate and maintain stability in order to reach peace.