Turkish jets hit alleged PKK position in Duhok province: reports
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkish jets struck alleged targets of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Duhok province on Friday morning, the armed forces announced.
The airstrikes targeted weapons positions and shelters of the PKK guerrillas in the Kurdistan Region mountains in the Gara, Zab, and Avashin areas, Turkish Armed Forces tweeted.
Media close to the PKK reported a civilian vehicle in the Matin area had been hit by the Turkish army, roughly 45 kilometres northeast of Duhok city. Roj News did not immediately have information of casualties.
A local man told Rudaw English that Turkey carried out airstrikes for nearly an hour, targeting positions in the mountains near Gelye Baski village, in the Doski area 32 kilometres northeast of Duhok city.
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There were more than eight airstrikes between 10:30 and 11:20 Friday morning, he said. He had not heard of any civilian casualties.
“This is the first time that airstrikes hit this area and the PKK are here,” he said.
Turkey regularly carries out airstrikes and military offensives against alleged PKK positions in the Kurdistan Region, where the group has its headquarters. In January, six civilians were killed in two separate incidents, sparking protests in the town of Shiladze, Duhok province. Angry protesters stormed a Turkish military base near the town.
The airstrikes and military activities in the mountains have also driven hundreds of villagers out of their homes and destroyed acres of forests.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has repeatedly called on the PKK to leave the Kurdistan Region. “We have to address the root cause of these strikes and it’s the PKK presence. If they aren’t there, there will be no excuse for airstrikes,” Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said in January after the Shiladze protests, adding he is in contact with Ankara to “make sure this does not happen again.”