100th anniversary of Kut al-Amara Ottoman victory marked

By Haydar Hadi

KUT, Iraq

The 100th anniversary of the Kut al-Amara victory against the British was commemorated Friday at the Ottoman Turkish Martyrs cemetery in eastern Iraq.

Sinan Zeren, Turkey’s ambassador in Baghdad, delivered a speech in Kut city to mark the anniversary and described Kut al-Amara as a joint Turkish-Iraqi victory.

“We are honored to celebrate the Kut al-Amara victory with the people of Kut,” Zeren said. “These two nations [Turkey and Iraq] fought together shoulder to shoulder and their blood was mixed, like in the battlefields of Canakkale and Kafkas.”

“The Iraqi and Turkish people cannot forget this history,” he added.

Kut’s Deputy Governor Rashid al-Bediri said the victory was in favor of Islamic unity.

“These days, we are exposed to the biggest terror attacks planned by foreign powers,” he said. “The creators of Daesh aim to attack Islam.”

The celebration was attended by officials from Turkey and Iraq, in addition to representatives of Arab tribes and the general public.