Five people were killed by a Turkish drone missile strike near the city of Tal Afar, Iraq on Sunday, Roj News Agency reported.

The victims, four men and a woman, were travelling in a vehicle when they were targeted by the armed drone as they drove through a village.

Tal Afar is 63 km west of Mosul. The governor of Mosul, Najim al-Jubouri condemned the attack, saying, “Such attacks pose a threat to security in Mosul. We call upon the Iraqi government to stand up to the Turkish attacks.”

One of the victims of the drone strike was named as Ahmed Jubouri, but the other four victims are yet to be identified.

Turkish military presence in Mosul

Turkey has been operating a military base in Bashiqa near Mosul since 2015.

Turkish troops had been deployed to the area in December 2015 on the pretext of training Iraqi forces in their fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) after the jihadist group maintained control in the area.

The base has been frequently targeted by rocket attacks, the most recent of which was on 25 June.

Two civilian residents were targeted 13 July in the town of Bashiqa by fire from Turkish helicopters. The attack resulted in damage but no casualties.

Some 150 Turkish troops are currently present in the area.