Al-Khanjar calls for preventing "terrorist mafias" from tampering with the Iraqi borders

Shafaq News / The head of al-Siyada coalition, Khamis al-Khanjar, called on the Iraqi government to take a clear position against the Kurdistan Workers Party.

Al-Khanjar said in a tweet, "apparently, there is a huge bluff created by terrorist mafias that tamper with our borders that mix up their political considerations with the blood of our youth."

"We must be serious with those who tamper with our safety and land."

He added, "it is absolutely unfortunate that the state is standing helpless and unable to repel a terrorist group that causes such big tragedies."

Turkey on Wednesday refuted claims by Iraqi state media that it had carried out a strike on a mountain resort in Iraq's northern Duhok governorate that killed eight tourists and wounded another 23 people, saying the attack was a terror act.

The "fierce artillery bombing" hit a resort in Zakho, a city on the border between Iraq's Kurdistan region and Turkey, Iraq state TV said.

Children were amongst the victims, including a 1-year-old, the Kurdish health minister said in a statement, adding that all the victims died before reaching a hospital.

"We go towards the mountainside, there are strikes. We go towards the waterfall, there are strikes. We go towards this side, there are strikes," said Mustafa Aala, 24, who was at the resort with a friend when the attack occurred.

"We pulled up the fence that was around the waterfall. We looked from inside, I saw children lying on the ground....It's a scene that I've never seen in my life," Aala added.

Turkey's foreign ministry said Ankara was saddened to hear of the casualties in the attack, and added that Turkey took maximum care to avoid civilian casualties or damaging historic, cultural sites in its counter-terrorism operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia and others.

"Turkey is ready to take every step for the truth to come out," the ministry said in a statement, adding that Turkish military operations were in line with international laws.

"We call on the Iraqi government to not make remarks influenced by the heinous terrorist organization's rhetoric and propaganda, and to engage in cooperation to uncover the perpetrators of this cruel act," it said, referring to the PKK.