Iraq to recall envoy, summon Turkish ambassador over deadly bombardment

BAGHDAD, July 20 (Xinhua) -- Iraq on Wednesday decided to recall its charge d'affaires from Ankara for consultations and summoned the Turkish ambassador over the deadly bombardment on a northern Iraqi resort.

The Iraqi Ministerial Council for National Security announced the decisions after holding an emergency meeting on the artillery strikes that killed at least 9 tourists and wounded 23 others earlier in the day.

Iraq accused Türkiye of striking the resort in Duhok Province of its semi-autonomous region, a charge Ankara has denied.

"Türkiye disregards Iraq's demands to stop the violations against Iraq's sovereignty and disrespects the principle of good neighborliness," the Iraqi ministerial council said in a statement, urging Türkiye to submit an official apology and withdraw its forces from all Iraqi territories.

The council also decided to pause dispatching a new ambassador to Türkiye in protest of the attack, and order the filing of a complaint to the United Nations Security Council.

Ankara regularly carries out cross-border military actions into northern Iraq, claiming to target the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the EU.