Baghdad to Protect Turkish Companies

By Simon Kent.

The chairman of the Baghdad Provincial Investment Commission, Shaker al-Zamli, has committed to protecting Turkish commercial interests in Iraq following the ongoing Turkish hostage crisis.

Early this month, 17 Turks and a Kurdish man were taken captive by a hitherto unheard of fringe Shi'a group. Two have subsequently been released, and the act has been widely condemned by Shi'a leaders in Iraq as being unjustified.

In a statement to the Anadolu news agency, Zamli noted that there were still many Turkish companies operating in Iraq who had not withdrawn staff following the incident:

“Turkish companies have continued to carry out their work in Baghdad.They have not been affected by the abductions, especially in light of ongoing security coordination with the [Iraqi] army, police and intelligence apparatus.”

(Source: Anadolu Agency)