Turkish aid agency to repair Martyr's Cemetery in Iraq

By Ali Makram Ghareeb

KIRKUK, Iraq (AA) - Turkey's state-run aid agency will fund repair of the Turkish Martyrs' Cemetery in northern Iraq, an official said on Tuesday.

Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency's (TIKA) Baghdad coordinator Mustafa Yazici told Anadolu Agency that the cemetery in the historical Kirkuk Fortress requires restoration.

Yazici said that restoration work will kick off this month in the cemetery which is the final resting place for dozens of Ottoman commanders, officers and soldiers. It is planned to be completed by the middle of this year, he added.

TIKA will also renovate the tomb of Prophet Daniel which is located near the cemetery, he said.

The Turkish Martyrs' Cemetery has been abandoned to its fate with no renovation taken place for nearly 100 years when the Ottoman Empire withdrew from the region.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara