Berlin, (AFP) - The German Foreign Ministry on Thursday condemned the bombing that claimed the lives of nine civilians in a tourist resort in northern Iraq , and held Baghdad and Ankara responsible for it, calling for an emergency investigation into the circumstances and responsibilities for this operation.

"Attacks on civilians are totally unacceptable, and their protection must be an absolute priority in all circumstances," the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

She added that Germany "attaches the utmost importance to respecting the sovereignty of the Iraqi state and respecting international law."

Nine civilians, including children, were killed and 23 wounded on Wednesday in northern Iraq in a bombing that Baghdad held Ankara responsible for, prompting Iraq to summon the Chargé d'Affairs in Ankara and demand the withdrawal of Turkish forces from its territory.

Ankara, for its part, denied responsibility for the attack, accusing the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) of being responsible for it, an organization that Turkey and its Western allies classify as "terrorist" and that has been waging an insurgency against it since 1984.

Ankara, which has established military bases in northern Iraq for 25 years, has repeatedly launched military operations against the PKK rebels, which has training camps and bases in the region.

Turkish military operations in northern Iraq exacerbate pressure on relations between Ankara and the Baghdad government, which accuses Turkey of violating its territorial sovereignty, even though the two countries are important trade partners.

For its part, the Turkish Foreign Ministry considered that "such attacks" are carried out by "terrorist organizations," calling in the statement on Iraq "not to make advertisements under the influence of terrorist propaganda."