Turkish drone kills three in Sinjar, targeting PKK-affiliated group, says Kurdish anti-terrorism agency
A team of Iraqi security forces has begun an investigation into the incident.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The headquarters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)-affiliated group on Tuesday was allegedly attacked by Turkish drones, killing three fighters, a statement from the Kurdistan Region’s counter-terrorism unit announced.
The Turkish drone targeted the headquarters of Sinjar Resistance Unit (YBS), a Sinjar-based PKK offshoot, in the Khana Sor community, in the western part of the Yezidi-majority town, according to a statement from the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD) of the Security Council.
As a result of the strike, three YBS fighters have been killed and another militant was wounded, the Directorate added.
Although Turkey has not claimed responsibility for the attack, PKK-affiliated media blamed the attack on Turkey.
A team of Iraqi security forces has begun an investigation into the incident.
Sinjar and its surrounding areas, part of disputed territories between Erbil and Baghdad, are under the security control of Iraqi forces. Heavy militia forces, including PKK fighters, are present in the area.
Similar strikes in the past have also been blamed on Turkey, which resulted in casualties, including senior PKK militants.
Bolstered by its advanced drone industry, Turkey has ramped up its drone strikes in recent years, particularly in the urban centers of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, to target suspected PKK positions.
In 2020, Erbil and Baghdad struck an agreement on Sinjar to normalize the security and administrative affairs in the town. However, the deal has not yet been implemented.
Kurdistan Region officials regularly call on Baghdad, officially in charge of the security affairs, to implement the deal. officials have voiced concerns about increased militia forces presence in the area.
Engaged in an armed struggle since the mid-1980s, the PKK-Turkey conflict has resulted in the casualties of tens of thousands of people from both sides.
Much of the conflict has been fought in the border areas of the Kurdistan Region, which had endangered the civilian population.
