Turkish warplanes, in two separate attacks, bomb Kurdistan Region’s border areas

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Turkish warplanes on Monday bombarded border areas of the Kurdistan Region’s Amedi district in Duhok province, damaging farm land and causing distress among local villagers.

“Turkish planes bombed the village of Dargala this afternoon, causing infrastructure damages, breaking several houses’ windows and doors, damaging farm lands, and causing fires to the crops,” a local source who wished to remain anonymous told Kurdistan 24.

“The attack, as usual, is under the pretext of the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party [PKK] in the area,” the source added.

This marks the second bombing in the Kurdistan Region.

On Monday, the Turkish fighter jets targeted the Ruby and Rawal areas in the villages of Litan and Gali Sheikh-Zadan, which is located in Sidakan district, north of Erbil.

Turkish bombardment of the vast border areas of Turkey, Iran, and the Kurdistan Region, as well as into the autonomous region along with the Qandil Mountain range, have become commonplace since the peace process between Turkey and the PKK broke down in July 2015.

Armed conflict between Turkey and the PKK often damages the property of farmers and residents in areas along the borders.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has repeatedly told Ankara to cease airstrikes within the Kurdistan Region and has been critical of the PKK for using its territory as a base from which to conduct operations within Turkey.

The PKK took up arms in the 1980s over rights for Kurdish citizens in a conflict that has claimed some 40,000 lives on both sides.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany