PKK militants target Peshmerga forces in Duhok province
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces on Saturday came under fire from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Duhok province’s border areas, resulting in no causalities among the Region’s forces, an informed source in the area told Kurdistan 24.
A Peshmerga checkpoint near Gali Rashava was fired on by the PKK militants early Saturday, the source in the area told Kurdistan 24 on the condition of anonymity.
The Region’s forces returned fire after they were attacked without resulting in any causalities among the Peshmerga, the source said.
Gunshots of the confrontation can be heard in the distance, according to footage shared with Kurdistan 24.
Gunshots can be heard in the distance as a result of a confrontation between the Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga forces and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the Deraluk sub-district in Duhok province's Amedi.
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📹 Submitted to Kurdistan 24 pic.twitter.com/D4MryYpNkI
The incident came after last week a roadside bomb planted by the PKK wounded a Peshmerga fighter near the area, Kurdistan 24 learned at the time.
The presence of the Peshmerga forces has witnessed an uptick in recent years to secure the border areas, which regularly see clashes between the PKK and Turkish forces, resulting in civilian casualties and displacement.
The PKK forces have previously attacked the Region’s forces in the mountainous areas in Duhok province, Peshmerga sources have previously said.
Turkey and PKK have engaged in a fierce and bloody fight since the mid-1980s. Most of the conflict has been fought inside the Kurdistan Region’s border towns and villages, leaving hundreds of civilians dead or maimed.
Ankara, bolstered by its advanced drone strikes capability, has ramped up its aerial attacks on the alleged positions of the militants.
A Turkish drone strike on Friday killed a top PKK commander along with other individuals inside a vehicle near Sulaimani province’s Penjwen district, according to the Region’s Directorate General of Counter Terrorism said.
The Region’s officials have called on the warring sides on several occasions to take their fight away from the populated areas, as hundreds of villagers have been displaced by the conflict.