Shelling of Zakho continues following killing of tourists

The area near the resort has been subjected to artillery bombardments over 20 times beginning on Thursday, eyewitnesses told Kurdistan 24 on Friday.
Turkish and Iraqi soldiers conduct joint military drills in Turkey's Sirnak province, Sept. 26, 2017. (Photo: Fatih Aktash/Anadolu Agency)
Turkish and Iraqi soldiers conduct joint military drills in Turkey's Sirnak province, Sept. 26, 2017. (Photo: Fatih Aktash/Anadolu Agency)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Artillery bombardments have continued in the vicinity of the tourist resort where nine Iraqi Arab tourists were killed by shells on Wednesday, local sources told Kurdistan 24 on Friday.

The area near the resort has been subjected to artillery bombardments over 20 times beginning on Thursday, eyewitnesses told Kurdistan 24 on Friday.

Hundreds of Iraqi Arab tourists flocked to the Parkhe resort in Duhok province's Zakho near the Turkish-Iraqi border to relax and escape the extreme heat in central and southern Iraq. On Wednesday, artillery shells rained down on the resort, killing nine civilians and injuring more than 20. Iraq blamed Turkey for the attack. Turkey denies any responsibility. 

Footage of the tragedy soon dominated Iraqi social media and news, causing an outcry. The Iraqi government has since demanded Ankara withdraw all Turkish troops from Iraq. Turkish troops have been fighting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) group in northern Iraq and the Kurdistan Region for decades. 

Ankara has denied it had targeted civilians in the military campaigns that have been ongoing since the mid-1980s. Baghdad said Turkish denial of responsibility is a "sick joke". 

The Turkish Ambassador to Baghdad, Ali Riza Guney, was summoned on Thursday in protest. Iraq is set to file a complaint at the United Nations Security Council, the foreign ministry said. 

The Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, including a newlywed man and three children. Barzani said his government is willing to cooperate with its Iraqi counterpart and international actors investigating the incident.