Rockets have been fired at a Turkish military base in the north-east of Mosul. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack, and neither the Turkish nor the Iraqi authorities have issued a statement.
According to RojNews, three Katyusha rockets were fired at a Turkish military base in northern Iraq on Saturday morning. The base is located in the municipality of Zelkan near Bashiqa in the greater Mosul area. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack; neither Turkish nor Iraqi authorities have issued a statement.
Bashiqa is located about 15 kilometres northeast of Mosul. The base, also known as Gedu Base, is located outside the town and was raised in 2015 without permission from Baghdad in a region inhabited by Yazidi and Christian minorities, which is one of the disputed areas of the country. Under the name of "opposition groups", various militias are trained by the Turkish army in the military camp. This has led to tensions between Iraq and Turkey. The government in Baghdad accuses Ankara of illegally stationing troops on Iraqi soil and demands their withdrawal.
There have been several rocket attacks on the Zelkan base in recent months, most recently on 2 January and 27 December. In April last year, a Turkish soldier was killed by a shell and two civilians, including a twelve-year-old girl, were injured. In August and again in November, several rockets were fired at the base, but no casualties were reported. Pro-Iranian militias are suspected to be behind the attacks.
