UPDATE - 5 Peshmerga soldiers killed in PKK ambush in Iraq

UPDATES WITH CONDEMNATIONS

ERBIL, Iraq (AA) - Five Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers were killed on Saturday in an attack by the PKK terror group in Iraq's northern Dohuk province, according to a Kurdish deputy minister.

The fatalities occurred in an ambush set by PKK terrorists in Amadiya district in the province, Serbest Lezgin, the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) deputy minister of Peshmerga affairs, said in a statement.

He added that four other Peshmerga soldiers were injured in the attack.

KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani denounced the PKK terrorist attack against the Peshmerga troops, calling for "standing together against this aggression."

"I condemn in the strongest terms the PKK's attack on the Peshmerga today. My thoughts are with the families of the five martyred and the injured." Barzani wrote on Twitter.

Turkey's Consulate General in Erbil condemned the attack on Twitter and expressed sorrow for the reported losses.

"The PKK terrorist organization is the common enemy of both Turkey, Iraq and the KRG," it said, adding that it stood with KRG authorities in the fight against the terror threat.

The PKK attack was also condemned by the British Consul-General in Erbil, James Thornton.

"I condemn the PKK attack on the Peshmerga today that left five dead and several injured, and I send my condolences to the families of the victims," the Britishenvoy tweeted.

The PKK takes the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq as its stronghold and is active in many cities and towns. It occupies a large number of villages in the region and launches attacks on Turkey's interior.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara