8 killed, 23 wounded in artillery bombardment in northern Iraq: military

BAGHDAD- Up to eight people were killed and 23 wounded Wednesday in an artillery bombardment on a resort in Duhok province in Iraq's semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, the Iraqi military said.

The artillery bombardment occurred at 13:50 pm (1050 GMT) on a resort in Parakh village in the Zakho area, leaving eight people killed and 23 injured, all of whom were tourists, the media office of the Joint Operations Command said in a statement.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, also commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, ordered an immediate investigation into the incident and dispatched Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and several military commanders to the scene to follow the incident, according to the statement.

Earlier, a medical source from Duhok hospital anonymously told Xinhua that the Turkish artillery pounded the resort and put out the toll as five killed and 17 wounded.

The Turkish side has yet to comment on the incident.

Noor Nafie, a female lawmaker, called on the parliament to hold an emergency session to discuss the bombing."

The bombardment occurred as many Iraqis used to travel to resorts in the mountainous areas in the Kurdish region in northern Iraq, escaping the summer heat.

The Turkish forces frequently carry out ground operations, air strikes, and artillery bombardment in Iraq's semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan, especially the Qandil Mountains, the main base of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union.