Iraqi leader voices sympathy for slain Turkish diplomat

By Merve Yildizalp

ANKARA (AA) - Iraq's president on Thursday expressed sympathy with his Turkish counterpart after Wednesday's armed attack in northern Iraq that left a Turkish diplomat martyred.

In a phone call, Barham Salih extended his condolences to Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a Turkish diplomat was martyred in an armed attack at a restaurant in Erbil, Iraq, said a statement from the Presidential Office.

The two leaders also discussed bilateral and regional issues.

On Wednesday, a Turkish diplomat who was serving at Turkey's Consulate in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish Regional Government, was martyred in an armed attack at a restaurant.

Speaking to reporters in the capital Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said three attackers were involved in the incident.

Apart from the Turkish diplomats, one Iraqi sitting at the next table was killed, while another was seriously wounded, he added.

Cavusoglu said Turkey was in contact with Baghdad and Erbil over the incident, adding that efforts are ongoing to capture the culprits and clarify the circumstances of the attack.