Protest at UN office in Erbil calls for peace, end to attacks on civilians

“If you have a problem with PKK, or Israel, you can fight them, not kill Iraqis in a restaurant having fun.”

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/07/22 00:22

A small group of protesters gathered in front of the UN's office in Erbil to protest Turkish actions (Photo: Wladimir van Wilgenburg/Kurdistan 24).

Kurdistan Protests Turkey Zakho Duhok Bombing

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A small protest by Iraqi civilians in front of the main UN office in Erbil on Thursday called for peace and end to attacks on civilians in Iraq.

The protestors protested the actions of Iran and Turkey in Iraq after nine civilians were killed by a Turkish artillery strike on Wednesday in the Duhok province.

The protestors said that they were part of 2019’s Tishreen (October) uprising in Iraq.

In Oct 2019, mass demonstrations in Baghdad and south Iraq protested against unemployment and the lack of government provinces in Iraq.

Hundreds of civilians were killed by security forces during the protests.

A protest banner blamed Iran, ISIS, Turkey, and armed factions for killing civilians in Iraq. “We have seen nothing but merciless death from you.”

Mohammed Aflouq, who fled as a refugee to Erbil from Baghdad, told Kurdistan 24 that Iraqi civilians were killed by armed groups in Iraq, and by neighbors like Iran and Turkey. “What have we done to deserve this?”

“People having fun in a restaurant and they get killed by Turkey, who says they are fighting of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party). Why should we be part of your fight with the PKK?”

At least nine civilians were killed on Wednesday, including women and children, when Turkish artillery hit a tourist resort in the Drakar sub-district of Zakho.

According to a press release of the Community Peacemaker Teams since 2015, 138 civilians have been killed by the Turkish military in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Turkey denied responsibility for the attack and underlined that they never targeted civilians. But the Iraqi government has directly blamed Turkey.

Read More: Turkey denial of Duhok’s shelling is a "black joke", and we requested a special session of the UN Security Council: Iraqi Foreign Ministry

Since Wednesday, there have been several protests against Turkish actions in front of Turkish diplomatic missions and visa offices in Iraq.

A protest in Erbil's citadel condemned Wednesday's Zakho artillery attack that killed nine civilians. pic.twitter.com/S9V2ppHuCx
— Kurdistan 24 English (@K24English) July 21, 2022

On Thursday evening, a larger number of youth also protested the Zakho attack near Erbil's citadel.

“If you have a problem with PKK, or Israel, you can fight them, not kill Iraqis in a restaurant having fun,” Aflouq added.

Both Iran and Turkey have bombed different areas in the Kurdistan Region over the last few years, in which civilians were injured, killed and displaced.

Moreover, Iran-backed armed groups have carried out rocket attacks and drone attacks in the Kurdistan Region, threatening civilian lives.

Moreover, Iran has fired ballistic missiles on the Kurdistan Region since 2018.

Iran fired several ballistic missiles at a civilian house in Erbil on March 13th. this year, claiming that it was targeting a "strategic Zionist center" in the capital. The attack also damaged the Kurdistan 24 office.

However, the missiles destroyed a civilian house owned by a Kurdish businessman, and an Iraqi parliament fact-finding mission did not find any evidence supporting Iran's allegations that the Kurdistan Region hosted an Israeli spy center in Erbil.

Edited by NA