BAGHDAD/ Aswat al-Iraq: Premier Nouri al-Maliki extended his condolences to the Turkmen families who lost their relatives in Touzkhormato area, Salahal-Din province, and last week.

A mourning ceremony was held in Baghdad to commemorate the victims of the suicidal explosion.

Another ceremony was held in Touzkhormato under the patronage of minister of youth and sports Jassim Mohammed Jaffar and some Turkmen leaders.

During the ceremony, Jaffar called for protecting the Turkmen from plans to deport them from Iraq.

He called to recruit the sons of this component to defend themselves and compensate them for the damages incurred.

On the other hand, MP Abbas al-Bayati added that "the case of more than 2 million Turkmen should be discussed as "a humane one and as an original Iraqi component".

He added that the campaign to protect the Turkmen shall be given to the government and parliament in order to be tackled with "seriousness and priority".