Turkish jets shell Kurdistan Region’s Chamanke district, target local mosque
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Turkey’s warplanes on Monday heavily bombarded the Kurdistan Region’s Chamanke district in Duhok province, with no human casualties reported.
The shelling took place in the villages of Kani Maze and Bebad and targeted a mosque in the area, destroying it, local sources told Kurdistan 24.
Sources said the bombardment went on for a few hours, causing panic among villagers living in the area.
The attacks were believed to be targeting fighters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Related Article: Christian villagers flee from Turkish cross-border attacks into Kurdistan Region
Turkey has routinely shelled and otherwise attacked areas well past its borders and into the Kurdistan Region in past months and years, killing many civilians about whom there are no claims of PKK affiliation.
The PKK has been engaged in a decades-long insurgency against Turkey over Kurdish rights and self-rule. Turkey, the United States, and the European Union all designate it as a “terrorist” group.
Related Article: Villagers flee as Turkey repeatedly shells Kurdistan Region border areas
The clashes between the PKK and Turkish forces have led to the evacuation of hundreds of villages in the autonomous Kurdistan Region located near the Turkish border.
Villagers have repeatedly called on both sides to take their battlefield outside of their areas as dozens of civilians over the past few years have fallen victim to Turkey’s airstrikes and artillery attacks.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany