Mutiple injuries as smoke bomb goes off at Kurdish event in German capital

Berlin police said on Monday that nine participants had to be treated for breathing difficulties at the meeting on Sunday night.
 
The event had to do with a recent controversial decision by the government in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region to hold a referendum next month on independence from mainland, according to the report.
 
Police said it was not clear who was behind the incident in Berlin, where 400 people were present.
 
The central government in Baghdad, along with the US and Iraq’s neighbors, has strongly slammed the planned referendum.
 
Among the staunch opponents is Turkey, which has been involved in a long-running conflict with the Kurdish militants seeking autonomy at home.
 
Turkey has also a large diaspora community in Europe, particularly in Germany and Austria.