ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS) on Thursday retracted an initial statement regarding a Sunday operation in Kirkuk’s Pirde (Altun Kapri) town, now claiming that one Islamic State (ISIS) member was killed and another injured, while acknowledging the death of two civilians, after widespread backlash over the killing of two Kurdish youth in the operation.

In its original statement published on Sunday, the ICTS said its forces engaged three “terrorist” ISIS members in Pirde, claiming to have killed two members of the militant group and arrested a third. The statement made no mention of civilian casualties.

It was later revealed that the skirmish resulted in the death of a Kurdish teenager named Murad Zana, while another Kurdish young man, Mohammed Hemin, who was near the warehouse during the shooting, went missing.

The Sunday statement did not disclose the identities of the ISIS suspects, making it uncertain if Murad was included in the initial toll. His body was not taken for further investigations and his family was able to bury him on the same day, suggesting that the Iraqi forces did not suspect him of ISIS links.

Mohammed, however, was confirmed to have been taken into custody under suspicion of being an ISIS member. He later succumbed to his wounds while in custody. His family was notified by authorities on Tuesday to come and pick up his body at Kirkuk’s forensic medicine department, two days after he went missing.

The ICTS officially updated its statement on Thursday, saying the force confirmed that it was tracking two alleged “terrorists” in a “densely populated residential area,” claiming that one of the individuals was wearing an explosive belt and the other carrying arms, purportedly to carry out a “terrorist attack against citizens in the area.”

The force claimed that intervention efforts were followed by an armed confrontation “resulting in the death of one terrorist and the arrest of the other.”

“The clash also resulted in the martyrdom of two citizens,” it stated, adding that a joint investigative committee was formed to probe the incident and identify “any parties found to be at fault.”

The killing of Murad and Mohammed under such suspicious circumstances sparked massive uproar among the Kurdish public and political officials, demanding justice for the teenagers and their families.

Authorities in Kirkuk revealed that Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has ordered the formation of an investigative committee, which was dispatched to Pirde on Wednesday, to reveal the circumstances of the incident and hold the “negligent” parties accountable, “regardless of their position.”

“The Counter-Terrorism Service expresses its deepest regret for the harm inflicted upon the citizens and extends its sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the families of the two martyrs and their relatives,” reads the updated statement.

The New Region spoke with Mohammed’s family on Tuesday, who said the Iraqi forces had killed their son and labeled him an ISIS member. They also added that his head had been decapitated. The family said they had searched for Mohammed after the clashes, identifying his mutilated body at the morgue through a tattoo on his arm.

Kirkuk Governor Mehmet Seman, leader of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, said in a statement on Tuesday that he had directed Kirkuk’s Martyrs Foundation to “process the case of martyr Mohammed Hemin and guarantee his rights” and to “support his family.” The governor had also directed the foundation to purse the same process for Murad’s case a day earlier.