First official Turkish statement on attack on Iraqi family in Mersin

Shafaq News/ The wali of the Turkish Mersin province Ali Ihsan has denied on Saturday what is being said on social media regarding racist motives behind the attack on an Iraqi family, saying that the issue has been addressed in an inaccurate and misleading manner.

In a statement released today, Ihsan said that the principal reason behind the incident is an argument ensuing an accident between two vehicles.

He clarified, “At 16:00 on the 13th of May, 2021, a traffic accident occurred on a main road of the area between an Iraqi family on its way to Antalya for tourism and 3 Turkish nationals.”

He added, “Unfortunately, after the accident, a verbal altercation between the two parties developed into a physical fight as the three Turkish men attacked the driver of the Iraqi vehicle and injured him.”

The Wali of Mersin assured that the three men were arrested and that the case was under investigation, and stated that the injured man, M. M. K., underwent treatment at a public hospital which he left after his recovery on Friday night.

Ihsan expressed his sadness towards what happened saying, “This family is now a guest of the province of Mersin.”

Footage emerged for a group of Turkish citizens battering a father of a Kurdish family from Erbil on vacation in Turkey.

According to information obtained by Shafaq News Agency, the family was heading to Mersin from Antalya when the Turkish group insulted and attacked the family, severely injuring the father and wounding his twelve-year-old son.

The local government of Erbil issued a statement denouncing the vicious assault and demanded an investigation into the incident. The governor of Erbil, Omed Khoshnaw, called the family and ensured that the perpetrators will be prosecuted and punished.