Attack in restaurant in northern Iraq kills Turkish diplomat
A gunman opened fire inside a Turkish-owned restaurant in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil on Wednesday, killing at least one Turkish diplomat stationed in Ankara's consulate, Turkey's state-run news agency and Iraqi media said.
The rare shooting in broad daylight jolted the normally quiet city and sent security forces into the streets in an effort to catch the perpetrator, who apparently got away. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the "hateful" attack targeting the Turkish consulate employees and said Turkey was pressing Iraqi and the local authorities for the assailants to be apprehended quickly.
Anadolu Agency, quoting the restaurant's owner, reported that an attacker in civilian clothes and carrying two weapons opened fire at a group of consulate workers shortly after they entered the restaurant and said a Turkish diplomat died at the site. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said an official of the Turkish consulate in Irbil was "martyred" as a result of an armed attack.
