Turkish Armed Forces fire four missiles at a resort in the Zakho District of Iraqi Kurdistan, killing eight Iraqi tourists and injuring 23 others.
On 20 July 2022, the Barakh tourist’s resort in the Zakho District of Kurdistan Region, Iraq was shelled with four or five artillery strikes during Operation Claw-Lock, reportedly by Turkey. The attack killed at least nine civilians, including two children, and injured more than 22. Most of the victims were Iraqi Arab tourists. Dozens of wounded people sat outside the hospital. Critically injured patients, including young children with stunned faces, were transferred in gurneys. Inside, a toddler was pronounced dead along with her mother. Operation Claw-Lock is an ongoing military operation of the Turkish Armed Forces in northern Iraq. The operation is taking place in the Duhok Governorate against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), as part of the ongoing Kurdish–Turkish conflict. The Government of Iraq and United Nations both denounced the attack and ordered an investigation into what had happened. Both Iraqi Kurdish and federal authorities, including Prime Minister of Iraq Mustafa Al-Kadhimi placed the culpability on the Turkish Armed Forces. Turkey denied responsibility for the attack and instead suspected terrorist groups to be responsible, offering to open a collaborative investigation into the incident.