Heavy security reported near the Turkish embassy in Baghdad

Shafaq News/ Heavy security deployment has been reported near the Turkish embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Thursday in anticipation of anti-Ankara protests following the Turkish bombardment of a resort in Duhok's Zakho, north of the Kurdistan region.

A source told Shafaq News Agency that troops from various formations have been deployed in the vicinity of the embassy inside the ultra-secure Green Zone.

Nine tourists, including a one-year-old, died and another 23 people were injured in a Turkish attack on a mountain resort in Kurdistan's northern governorate of Dohuk, local officials told Shafaq News Agency.

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

The attack prompted a wave of dismay, with protestors picketing and storming Turkish visa application centers in Najaf, Baghdad, and Kirkuk.

In Nineveh, Iraqi security forces steeled themselves for a protest near the Turkish visa application center in the east of the governorate's capital city. Troops were deployed near the center, blocking the road leading to it in anticipation of any escalations.

A source told Shafaq News Agency that activists in the city called for a demonstration near the center early this morning, "but the destination was changed later. A demonstration will be held in the afternoon today at the ceremonies square."

In Kirkuk, angry demonstrators gathered near the Turkish visa application center in Kirkuk and removed the Turkish flag from the top of the center's building.