Turkish drone kills top PKK-linked commander in Sinjar: counter-terrorism

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A senior commander of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party-linked militant group in the Yezidi-majority town of Sinjar on Wednesday afternoon was killed by a drone strike, the Kurdish counter-terrorism group reported.

The Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) struck a vehicle, carrying a “top YBS [Sinjar Resistance Units] commander and his guard" in central Sinjar, in the western Nineveh province, according to a statement from the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD). Both militants were killed as a result of the strike. 

The anti-terror group shared a photo of the burnt-down pickup truck on social media. 

Today’s attack comes only two days after a similar aerial strike by Turkish forces was carried out in the town, where three members of the militant group were killed, including a commander.

Read More: Turkish drone kills three PKK-affiliated fighters in Sinjar: Kurdish anti-terrorism group

Turkey has not immediately claimed responsibility for the twin strikes.

The town, a disputed territory between Erbil and Baghdad, has been under the control of Iraqi federal forces and militia groups, including those with ties to the PKK, since 2017.

Engaged in a decades-old bloody conflict, the PKK and Ankara armed confrontation has spilled over to urban centers in the Kurdistan Region and surrounding mountainous areas.

The Turkish spy agency, known as MIT, announced the “arrest” of a member of the PKK special forces in the Sulaimani province on Tuesday.

Bolstered by its sophisticated drone industry, Turkey has ramped up its aerial strikes against alleged members of the Kurdish group in recent years.

Kurdistan Region continues to call on the warring sides to take their conflict away from the populated areas, particularly in the urban centers.