UPDATED: Turkish air raids hit rural Duhok in Kurdistan, killing at least one civilian

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Wednesday, Turkish airstrikes targeted rural areas in the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province, targeting alleged positions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the area, according to sources.

The Turkish air raid intensely targeted Kani Mazne and Baze villages in Duhok province’s Amedi area, local sources told Kurdistan 24. Baze village was attacked six times in less than an hour, the source added.

An individual went missing during the attack, initial reports indicated. A local official later confirmed to Kurdistan 24 that the repeated airstrikes had killed one civilian in Kani Mazne.

Kani Masi Mayor Sarbast Sabri told Kurdistan 24 that Khalid Shamsuddin, a village resident and headmaster of the local school, went to tend to his farm that was burning as a result of the initial attack when a subsequent shell struck, killing him.

The new round of airstrikes came following a Turkish attack in Erbil province's Bradost area that resulted in the death of two high-ranking Iraqi border guards along with their driver.

Read More: Turkish airstrike in Kurdistan Region kills 2 Iraqi border guard commanders

The incident drew sharp criticisms from Iraq and other Arab countries as they described it as a violation of Iraq's sovereignty.

In parallel, on Wednesday, Turkish airstrikes targeted another part of Akre, according to sources. Early reports indicate that the incident has not resulted in any civilian casualties, but it has set agricultural areas ablaze.

Turkey has intensified its bombardment of various areas over its southern border into the Kurdistan Region since mid-June, killing dozens of civilians unaffiliated to the PKK and has caused the displacement of thousands, extensive damage to residences, farms, and killed locals' livestock.

The PKK is engaged in a decades-long insurgency against Turkey over Kurdish rights and self-rule, resulting so far in the death of over 40,000 people on both sides. The group is headquartered in the Kurdistan Region's Zagros Mountains, along the Turkish and Iranian borders.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Khrush Najari