Coalition, Baghdad responsible for attack on Makhmour: Camp administration

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The administration of the Makhmour refugee camp, 50 kilometers (40 miles) south of Erbil, which was targeted by a rocket attack Wednesday night, is holding the Iraqi government and the international coalition responsible.

Over 10,000 Kurdish refugees from northern Kurdistan (Turkey) reside in the Makhmour camp which was struck by a rocket attack that killed and injured several people.

The assault targeted a training post for Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) members attached to the camp, according to informed sources.

“We hold the Federal Government of Iraq and all the forces using Iraqi airspace responsible for this attack,” the camp’s administration said in a statement published by the PKK.

The statement, however, did not accuse any party of carrying out the attack, for which no one has yet claimed responsibility.

“The airspace of the area that was attacked is under the protection of the Federal Government of Iraq. We, therefore, call on [Baghdad] to issue an urgent statement clarifying the circumstances of this attack,” it added.

The administration also pointed out that the area had been under the protection of an armed group created by camp members in 2014, which “played an important role in protecting civilians” from the Islamic State (IS) when it first emerged.

Neither the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), or the anti-IS coalition has made any official statement regarding the incident.

Five people were killed and eight others injured in the attack, a Kurdistan 24 reporter at the scene said. The wounded were transferred to a hospital in Erbil.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany