Iraq condemns Iran artillery shelling on Erbil

The Iraqi government yesterday condemned the Iranian artillery shelling that targeted a number of sites in the Sedakan area north of Erbil, in the Kurdistan region, Anadolu news agency reported.

A statement issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The government of Iraq condemns the Iranian bombardment, which targeted several sites in the Sedakan area in Erbil, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.”

“We reaffirm the constitutional content, that Iraqi lands are not used as a headquarters or corridor to threaten the security of neighbouring countries. We also affirm the importance of reliance on dialogue and its sustainability to face challenges, especially security ones, in a manner that preserves Iraq’s sovereignty and enhances the security and stability of the region,” it added

Earlier yesterday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ artillery fire hit an area north of the Iraqi Kurdish capital Erbil targeting what Iranian state television described as terrorist bases, Reuters reported.

Iraqi Kurdish media reported that a shell had landed in a village in the Sedakan area near the Iranian border, around 100 kilometres northeast of Erbil.

In March, the Guards carried out an attack against what Iranian state media described as “Israeli strategic centres” in Erbil, suggesting it was revenge for Israeli airstrikes that killed Iranian military personnel in Syria.

The Erbil government denies the existence of any secret institutions or bases belonging to any country in its territory.

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