Gunmen Open Fire On Turkish Journalists And Red Crescent Workers In Mosul

ANKARA - A Turkish Red Crescent convoy carrying humanitarian aid to Turkmen people in Tal Afar city of Iraq was attacked by gunmen in Mosul.
Behcet Aksoy, the acting representative of Ihlas News Agency (IHA) in Ankara, said on Monday that IHA correspondent Feyzullah Tas, IHA cameraman Selcuk Bilirdonmez, and Red Crescent workers Halil Altunkalem and Mustafa Pekcan were wounded when gunmen opened fire on their vehicle.
''We have received an information that those Turkish people were taken to a hospital in Mosul. Sources said that Pekcan was wounded seriously while the others are in good condition,'' he added.
MFA: ''WE CONSIDER THE ATTACK ON HUMANITARIAN AID TEAM AS VERY SERIOUS''
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Monday, ''necessary initiatives have been launched to capture those who were responsible for today's armed attack on a vehicle carrying Turkish Red Crescent workers and Turkish journalists. We consider the attack as a very serious incident.''
Releasing a statement, the MFA said, ''such an attack on a humanitarian aid team aiming to assist neighboring country's people increased seriousness of the situation in Iraq. According to universal rules, nobody should intervene in a humanitarian aid team on any condition.''
''Turkey has launched necessary initiatives at relevant Iraqi authorities to find those who are responsible for this heinous attack and to prevent re-occurrence of such events in the future,'' it said.

(UK-MS) 20.09.2004