Turkish airstrikes target PKK in civilan border areas of Kurdistan Region

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On early Friday, Turkish air forces targeted mountainous areas located over its southern border in the Kurdistan Region's province of Duhok with no known causalities, local sources told Kurdistan 24.

The airstrikes, which targeted alleged PKK positions on two mountains located in Amedi and Shiladze, are part of Ankara's newly launched military campaign against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), with which it has fought a decades-long conflict over Kurdish rights in Turkey. Previous strikes in the general vicinity in June have led to the deaths of four civilians. 

Read More: At least four civilians killed in Turkish air raid: sources

Khamteer mountain, in the Darkar sub-district of Zakho, was targeted by Turkish warplanes “four times,” according to local official Zeravan Musa.

While speaking to Kurdistan 24,  he added that “since the beginning of the operations, Turkish armed forces installed two outposts on the heights of the [Khamteer] mountain,” as Turkey’s advances closed in on the area.

At the base of the mountain, multiple villages populated by both Muslims and Christians have evacuated for fear of being targeted by warring parties.

Read More:  Over 10 Christian villages evacuate as PKK-Turkey clashes intensify

On Thursday, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed said he “hoped” that both Turkey and PKK “understand” Kurdistan Region’s precarious situation and cease operations near civilian dwellings.

“If there’s an issue, go and solve it where it originated,” Ahmed told Kurdistan 24 as he pointed out the suffering of civilians and material damage to their property that the clashes have caused in recent years.

The interior minister’s comments came following the KRG’s previous condemnation of the new round of conflicts between the PKK and Turkey.

Authorities in the Kurdistan Region have repeatedly complained that hundreds of residents of the border villages are displaced as a result of the often deadly military operations launched by Turkey and Iran each year.

Editing by John J. Catherine

Additional reporting by Kurdistan 24 correspondents Islam Yousif and Shimal Barchi