FILE PHOTO: Turkish soldiers seen at the border town of Akcakale © Reuters / Murad Sezer
Late on January 2, a rocket salvo hit a Turkish military base located near the town of Zaylkan in Bashiqa district in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh.
ویدیویی در حال پخش..
بمباران پایگاه #زلیکان نیروهای ترکیه در نینوا
با 13 موشک#شبکه_الاتجاه pic.twitter.com/t0q4DHLJbB
— شبکه الاتجاه (@Aletejahtv_ir) January 2, 2022
⭕️حملات راکتی به پایگاه نظامی #زلیکان ترکیه #TSK در استان #نینوا عراق
تعداد ۱۳ راکت pic.twitter.com/YPkil1L9fL
— SIDRA (@SIDRAN80) January 2, 2022
An unnamed Iraqi security source told the Sputnik news agency that at least six rockets landed in the vicinity of the base.
“As for now, there has been no information about any casualties as a result of the attack,” the source said.
Iraqi security forces found the improvised rocket launcher that was used in the attack near the town of Abu Jarbua’a, which is located to the northeast of the city of Mosul. The launcher was apparently loaded with 20 Grad 122 mm rockets. Only one of the rockets failed to fire.
العثور على منصة لإطلاق #الصواريخ في قرية أبو جربوعة شمال شرق #الموصل والتي استُخدِمَت لاستهداف معسكر #زليكان في #بعشيقة pic.twitter.com/XbjsEAUO8K
— Zagros عربیة (@Zagrostv_arabic) January 2, 2022
Some observers speculated that the attack was carried out by pro-Iranian forces in Iraq to honor the memory of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy-Commander of the Popular Mobilization Units, and Iran’s Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qassim Soleimani who were assassinated two years ago by the US. However, this is unlikely as Turkey was not a part of the plot. Ankara even criticized the assassination.
Pro-Iranian forces honored the late leaders by attacking the US Camp Victory military base near Baghdad International Airport with two suicide drones early on January 3.
The rocket attack on Zaylkan was likely a response by pro-Iranian forces or the more likely the Kurdistan Workers’ Party to the recent Turkish airstrikes on the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. On December 27 and 31 two similar attacks targeted the base.
