Top US diplomat lambasts attack on Turkish diplomat

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned "in the strongest possible terms" Wednesday an attack on a Turkish diplomat in northern Iraq.

"There can be no justification for such acts of wanton violence," Pompeo said in a statement. "We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and hope for a speedy recovery of any wounded."

The top U.S. diplomat further reaffirmed support for the Turkish and Iraqi governments and people.

On Wednesday, a Turkish diplomat who was serving at Turkey's Consulate General in Erbil was martyred in an armed attack at a restaurant, the Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement.

Apart from the Turkish diplomat, two Iraqi nationals sitting on the next table at the restaurant became the victims of the attack, with one killed while another was wounded seriously, Turkey's Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, told reporters.

Cavusoglu also said that Turkey is in contact with Baghdad and Erbil regarding the incident, adding that efforts are ongoing to capture the attackers and uncover additional details behind the attack.