Veil of mystery shrouds Turkish diplomat's murder in Erbil
As Turkey buries its diplomat shot in Erbil, little information is emerging about the man Ankara's mourning as a martyr.
A Turkish diplomat slain in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, was given an official funeral in Ankara today as Iraqi Kurdish authorities kept up their manhunt for the unidentified perpetrators for a second day. The diplomat, Osman Kose, was on a six-month assignment at the Turkish Consulate in Erbil, Turkey’s A Haber news channel reported.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu and Hakan Fidan, the head of Turkey’s national intelligence agency (MIT), were among dignitaries present at today’s ceremony to see off Kose, who was granted martyr status.
Iraqi President Barham Salih called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend his condolences over the murder, which has sent shockwaves through the Iraqi Kurdish establishment.
The motives behind Wednesday’s shooting in the Huqqabaz restaurant remain unknown. Two locals identified as Neriman Osman and Beshdar Ramazan also perished in the attack.
