Islamic State Rocket Attack on Turkish Military Base in Northern Iraq

Kurdish military sources and Turkish officials report that militants from the Islamic State group fired several rockets at a Turkish military base in northern Iraq on Wednesday, December 25. In response, Turkish forces opened fire on the militants. According to Reuters, officials stated that at least four Turkish soldiers were injured in the attack. Hemen Horami, an official from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, tweeted that on Wednesday, the Kurdish military forces known as Peshmerga countered several attacks by Islamic State militants. Mr. Horami noted that the militants used nine bomb-laden vehicles and carried out eight suicide attacks during these assaults. He added that at least seven Peshmerga forces were killed in these attacks. The Turkish Armed Forces Command issued a statement confirming that the Turkish military base was targeted by Katyusha rockets fired by the Islamic State group, resulting in four soldiers being injured, who are currently receiving treatment in a hospital in Şırnak province in southeastern Turkey. An anonymous official told AFP that four soldiers were injured in the attack on a training base near Mosul, stating that the attackers had reached the conflict area from territories controlled by the Islamic State group. Turkish news networks CNN Türk and NTV reported that the condition of one of the injured Turkish soldiers is critical. According to CNN Türk, Turkish military forces responded to the attack by firing 50 to 60 mortars. A Kurdish general present near the attack site in the Bashiqa area also told Reuters that six or seven rockets hit a compound used by Iraqi forces. Earlier this month, the deployment of about 150 Turkish soldiers to a military base near Mosul heightened tensions between Ankara and Baghdad. Iraq has complained to the United Nations Security Council about this, claiming that Turkey's military presence violates its sovereignty. A few days ago, Turkey withdrew some of its forces from this base and stationed them in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. However, Baghdad is demanding the withdrawal of all Turkish troops.