ISIL terrorists seize Turkish consulate in Mosul take diplomats captive
An al-Qaeda splinter group seized the Turkish consulate in Iraq’s second largest city of Mosul on Wednesday and took 49 Turkish citizens captive, including the Turkish consul general.
Turkish Foreign Ministry said militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) are holding 80 Turkish citizens seized in two separate incidents in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
The ministry said 49 of its citizens had been taken hostage at its consulate and transferred to another part of the city, while 31 others – truck drivers who were abducted on Tuesday – were being held hostage at a power station in Mosul.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said the hostages are well.
According to the allegations, ISIL kidnapped all the Turkish diplomats in the consulate, including Consul General Öztürk Yılmaz, and took them to the main base of the extremist group in the July 17 area of western Mosul. Reports circulating in the Turkish media have also claimed that there were two children, three women and several members of Turkey’s special forces among the 49 abducted people.
A Twitter account called “Islamic State Media” said that ISIL had not abducted the Turks from the consulate.
“Turks are not kidnapped.. They are only taken to a safe location and until the investigation procedures are completed..,” claimed a post from the account thought to be a social media account of ISIL.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay, National Intelligence Organization (MİT) Undersecretary Hakan Fidan and Chief of the General Staff Operations Department Lt. Gen. Erdal Öztürk held an emergency meeting in the Prime Ministry headquarters over the events. Deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru also informed President Abdullah Gül about developments.
Davutoğlu canceled his program in New York where he was scheduled to deliver a speech at a United Nations counter-terrorism meeting, and set off for Turkey.
Speaking to the press on Wednesday, Interior Minister Efkan Ala said Turkey will do its part in parallel with its interests.
Reuters also reported a Turkish government source as saying: “Certain militant groups in Mosul have been directly contacted to ensure the safety of diplomatic staff.”
Al Jazeera Turk, citing an Iraqi Turkmen citizen in Mosul, reported that ISIL broke into the consulate in the afternoon after threatening the diplomats in the consulate with a bomb attack. The ISIL militants, according to these reports, did not abduct the Iraqi personnel in the consulate.
On Tuesday, Turkey’s consulate general in Mosul found itself in the heart of the clashes; however, no attack was carried out against the Turkish diplomatic mission on Tuesday. After ISIL gained power in Mosul, the Foreign Ministry started to work for the evacuation of the consulate’s personnel.
The extremist group’s entry into Turkish territory and seizure of the consulate may also bring about Turkish military intervention. However, Turkish media reports, citing government sources, say Ankara is in favor of a solution without resorting to the use of arms.
“As for the 28 Turkish citizens in Mosul, we are following the developments using a variety of sources. So far, we have been able to confirm that they are safe and sound,” Davutoğlu said on Twitter.
He had also added that the necessary measures had been taken for the safety of the Turkish consulate in Mosul.
SOURCE: MEDIA
