Turkish consulate employee laid to rest as Iraqi police identify perpetrator

ANKARA/ERBIL

Turkish consulate employee Osman Köse, who was killed in an armed attack in Erbil, Iraq, was laid to rest in capital Ankara on July 18.

Köse, who was serving at Turkey’s Consulate General in Erbil, was killed on July 17 in the attack at a restaurant.

Köse was laid to rest in Ankara after a funeral where top Turkish officials were among the attendees.     

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) said on July 18 it had identified one of the gunmen who opened the fire.

Police shared a photo of the attacker, Mazlum Dağ, who was born in Diyarbakır, Turkey in 1992, and asked local residents to help turn him in.       

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.       

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said three attackers were involved in the incident. Apart from the Turkish diplomats, two Iraqi nationals sitting at the next table at the restaurant became victims of the attack.

One was killed while another wounded seriously, he noted on July 17.

The minister said that Turkey is in contact and coordination with Baghdad and Erbil to capture the attackers and reveal all the details behind the attack.

Another wounded Iraqi citizen also reportedly died in the hospital, raising the total number of casualties to three. 

Iraq's prime minister on July 18 expressed sympathy with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after the attack.

In a phone call, Adil Abdul-Mahdi extended his condolences to Erdoğan. The two leaders also discussed bilateral and regional issues.      

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also strongly condemned the murder.

“There can be no justification for such acts of wanton violence,” Pompeo said in a statement. “The U.S. reaffirms its commitment to support the government and people of Turkey and Iraq,” he added, extending his condolences to the families of the victims.