Turkey slams attack on Iraqi Turkmen election candidate

By Ercan Canpolat

ANKARA

Turkey on Saturday condemned the recent armed attack targeting an Iraqi Turkmen candidate in parliamentary polls slated for next month.

In a written statement, Turkish Foreign Ministry said: “It has been learned with regret that Anwar Fakhri Karim, a parliamentary candidate for Kirkuk’s Turkmen Front Coalition, was subjected to arm attack on the Kirkuk-Baghdad highway in the evening of April 12.”

Karim escaped the attack uninjured but one of Karim’s driver was critically injured in the armed attack by unknown gunmen.

“We condemn this heinous attack targeting our Turkmen brother in the strongest term,” the ministry said.

The Foreign Ministry also reiterated its expectation that the increasing attacks on Turkmen would be prevented and Iraqi authorities would take necessary steps to apprehend perpetrators.