Turkish military base in northern Iraq under missile attack

The Turkish military base in Zlikan in the province of Nineveh in northern Iraq came under a missile attack, a source in Iraqi security agency told Sputnik on Thursday.

“The Zlikan military camp, which became the base for the Turkish army in the province of Nineveh in northern Iraq, came under missile fire. The missiles were fired from the city of Mosul, there is no information about losses as a result of the shelling yet,” the source said.

A military conflict between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated terrorist by Ankara, and the Turkish government forces began in 1984 and escalated in 2015. Ankara has launched several air and land operations against the PKK bases in northern Iraq. The presence of the Turkish military in the Zlikan camp has sparked a dispute between Baghdad and Ankara, which justifies the presence with the need to combat the PKK.

The Kurdistan Region’s counter-terrorism directorate later said that nine missiles were launched from a truck from Bashiqa city area of Nineveh province.