Turkish airstrike on PKK convoy in Duhok leaves 4 dead

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An airstrike on a convoy of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) carried out by Turkish forces in Duhok province left four dead, a local official told Kurdistan 24.

The strike targeted the convoy at 10:05 pm on Thursday night in Mangesh town, which is 35 kilometers away from the center of Duhok province.

The convoy consisted of “two to three cars” Moshtaq Esmat, the chief of Mangesh town told Kurdistan 24, adding that the cars belonged to members of the PKK, Turkey’s decades-old arch enemy.

Four corpses were found in one of the vehicles, a Kurdistan 24 correspondent reported. Villagers said that passengers from the other vehicles managed to escape, without elaborating on their numbers.

The airstrike comes after Turkey launched new ground and air operations – dubbed Claw-Lightning and Thunderbolt – against the alleged positions of the Kurdish militant group, with much of the conflict taking place in the border areas of the Kurdistan Region.

So far, two villages in Duhok province have been completely evacuated as the warring sides have brought clashes into areas populated by civilians.

Residents and the Kurdistan Region’s officials regularly urge the PKK and Turkey to take their fight away from the border areas, which have witnessed deadly incidents and had devastating impact on the inhabitants’ livestock and businesses.

Alan Bere contributed reporting from Duhok. Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly