Turkish diplomat shot dead in Iraqi Kurdistan

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At least one Turkish diplomat was killed in a shooting that took place Wednesday in the Iraqi Kurdish capital, according to reports.

The unidentified gunman opened fire in broad daylight at the Huqqabaz restaurant where the Turkish diplomat was dining, and Turkey’s state-run news agency added one of the diplomats killed in the incident worked at Ankara’s consulate in the northern Iraqi city. The dead man was identified as the deputy consul general.

The restaurant's owner, told the Anadolu Agency that an attacker in civilian clothes and carrying two weapons opened fire at a group of consulate workers shortly after they entered the restaurant and said the diplomat died at the site.

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The Turkish Foreign Ministry said an official of the Turkish consulate in Irbil was "martyred" as a result of an armed attack. The state-run Iraqi news agency identified him as the deputy general consul and said several of his entourage were also killed in the shooting. It was unclear how many died in the attack.

Kurdish security forces later said a Turkish diplomat and a civilian were killed and another civilian wounded in the attack.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, condemned the "hateful" attack and said Turkey was pressing Iraqi and local authorities for the assailants to be apprehended quickly.

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Security forces take measures after a Turkish consulate employee was killed in an armed attack on a restaurant in Erbil, Iraq on July 17, 2019. (Yunus Keles/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Photos published by local Iraqi Kurdish news agency Rudaw showed a shattered window on the outside of the restaurant and a car with bloodstains.

The restaurant where the attack occurred is located in an upmarket area on the airport road, popular with foreigners, aid workers and oil company employees, according to Rudaw.

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There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Turkey launched airstrikes against Kurdish insurgents north of Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least seven members of the Kurdistan Workers Party or the PKK.

Fox News' Morgan Cheung and the Associated Press contributed to this report.