Eight rockets fired at Turkish military base in Iraq

Turkish soldiers patrol a road near the Turkish-Iraqi border. Reuters

Eight rockets were fired at a Turkish military base in northern Iraq on Wednesday, said the Counter-Terrorism Group, a security operator in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.

It said two of the projectiles landed inside the base.

The attack happened at 7.45am local time when eight rockets were launched at the Zelkan base in the Nineveh province of northern Iraq.

An Iran-backed Shiite militia claimed responsibility for the attack.

Two landed inside the military base and the others landed near by. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

Turkey confirmed the attack and vowed to retaliate.

"From time to time, there are some attacks [on Turkish bases], and we are retaliating against these attacks and necessary measures are taken," Defence Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters in Ankara, according to Reuters.

A Turkish security source said the attack had caused no damage and that there were no casualties.

But an Iraqi security source, who declined to be identified, told Reuters that an Iraqi contractor in the base had been wounded.

Shortly after Wednesday's attack, the Free People of Iraq Brigade, or Liwa Ahrar Al Iraq, said it was behind the attack, but gave no details.

The group is known for its attacks against Turkish troops in northern Iraq. It first claimed responsibility for an attack on troops in June 2022.

In recent years, Turkey has conducted cross-border operations against Kurdish groups in northern Iraq and Syria, in an effort to prevent attacks on Turkish territory.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which in the past was mainly focused in south-east Turkey.

The PKK has bases in northern Iraq and has used the territory for attacks on Turkey.