Turkey condemns killing of Iraqi Turkmen official

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday "strongly" condemned the deadly attack on an Iraqi Turkmen Front official in northern Iraq's Kirkuk city.

Alaa al-Din al-Salihi, also known as al-Bayati, was shot dead in the Al-Askari neighborhood in Kirkuk by unknown gunmen on late Tuesday. The attackers fled after shooting him dead.

"We strongly condemn the loathsome attack carried out at such a time Kirkuk people ... are supposed to leave behind their sufferings they have endured for years," said the ministry in a statement.

Turkey also called on authorities to take "necessary measures" to provide a safe and peaceful environment for Kirkuk residents.

"We expect those who instigated and carried out the attack, which shows terror circles still continue to maintain their presence in Kirkuk, to be brought to justice as soon as possible," the statement added.

The Turkmen Front occupies two out of 328 seats in the Iraqi parliament and nine out of 41 seats in the Kirkuk provincial council. Since October, Iraqi forces have controlled the entire province of Kirkuk, ending the presence of the northern regional forces “Peshmerga”.