1 killed in drone attack on Turkish military base in Iraq

Shortly after the attack, a militia calling itself Ahrar Sinjar (Free Sinjar) claimed responsibility.

Dler S. Mohammed 2022/05/22 10:32

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar visits troops on the border with Iraq in Hakkari province, Turkey. (Photo: AP)

Middle East Turkey Turkeys Zilkan military base Drone attack PMF Ahrar Sinjar

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A drone attack targeted Turkey's Zilkan military base in the town of Bashiqa in Iraq's northern Nineveh province on Saturday night.

The attack killed one person and injured several others, the mayor of the nearby Sheikhan district, Sardar Sheikh Yahya, told Kurdistan 24's correspondent in the area.

The correspondent reported that the person killed in the attack was a soldier from the Iraqi national guard named Khalid Abdulrahman Yousif.

"This Iraqi national guard unit is based inside Turkey's Zilkan military base, and it is responsible for managing one of the base's gates," the Kurdistan 24 correspondent reported.

Shortly after the attack, a militia calling itself Ahrar Sinjar (Free Sinjar) claimed responsibility. The shadowy group claimed they used two drones to attack the base and caused significant damage.

The militia's statement added that they will continue to launch such attacks against "the forces that occupy the Iraqi territories."

The Turkish base has come under increasing attacks since the beginning of the year. On Feb. 3, more than 15 rockets were fired at Zilkan shortly after Turkish drone strikes in the Yezidi-majority town of Sinjar. Ahrar Sinjar also claimed responsibility for that attack.

Factions affiliated with Iraq's Shiite-majority Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) have been behind similar attacks in the past and have repeatedly demanded Turkey withdraw its troops from Iraq.