Iraq's Salih: Iraq must avoid tragedies of armed conflict that have plagued it over four decades

"Iraq must avoid the tragedies of armed conflict that have plagued it over four decades,"  Iraqi President Barham Salih said on Friday after condemning the US airstrike on Baghdad airport that killed Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.

"It is our duty to stay united to protect the national interest, Iraq's sovereignty and security," Salih added and called on all parties to "practice self-restraint and put the national interest first."

In the meantime, markets remain risk-averse on Friday with traditional safe-haven assets such as Gold and the JPY finding demand and major European equity indexes suffering heavy losses. As of writing, the Euro Stoxx 50 was down 1% on the day and Germany's DAX was erasing 1.7%.