Iraq shooting: Turkish diplomat killed in Kurdish capital of Irbil

Turkey is currently battling Kurdish militants in mountains of northern Iraq

A restaurant where Turkish diplomats were killed in Irbil, Iraq (REUTERS)

A Turkish diplomat has been shot dead by unknown gunmen in the Iraqi Kurdish city of Irbil.

The shooting took place at a restaurant in the city where a number of Turkish consulate officials were dining on Wednesday, according to security sources.

Turkey's foreign ministry confirmed that one its employees from the consulate in Irbil was killed. Kurdish officials said a total of three people were shot dead during the attack, which took place in an upscale neighbourhood close to the consulate.

Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, condemned the “hateful attack”.

“I wish God's mercy on our staff member who was martyred in the attack. Our talks with Iraqi institutions and local authorities to speedily find the assailants of the attack continue," he wrote on Twitter.

Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan's spokesman, said Ankara would give the “necessary response”.

Terror attacks are rare in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq, which runs its own security forces and intelligence services.

The Turkish military is currently battling militants belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the mountains of northern Iraq, and operates a number of bases in the area.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for Wednesday's attack.