Turkey to send delegation to Iraq's Erbil if necessary: FM

Ankara is in contact with Baghdad and local authorities after the armed attack on Turkish diplomats in Iraq's Erbil, and will send a delegation there if necessary, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday.

One Turkish consulate employee was killed in a shooting at a restaurant in northern Iraq's Erbil on Wednesday afternoon, Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed earlier in a statement.

Two Iraqi citizens sitting on the next table at the restaurant became the victims of the attack, with one killed while another wounded seriously, Cavusoglu told reporters.

Three attackers were involved in the incident, he said.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the armed attack on Turkish diplomats, and urged Iraqi authorities to swiftly find killers.

Ibrahim Kalin, Turkish Presidential spokesperson, tweeted that Turkey would give the "necessary response to those who committed this treacherous attack."

According to information shared by the owner of the restaurant, an attacker, wearing civilian clothes and carrying two guns, opened fire, directly targeting the consular staff when they entered the restaurant, Anadolu Agency reported

There was no immediate claim of responsibility as Iraqi security forces began a search for the attackers.