ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish warplanes on Saturday bombarded Mount Metina in Duhok province without causing casualties, a villager told Rudaw. Fayeq Balavayi from Balava village said he saw Turkish air forces bombarding the nearby Mount Metina at noon, adding that the bombardment continued for hours. No civilians were harmed because the targeted area is banned from civilians due to frequent clashes between Turkish army and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) there. PKK is an armed group struggling for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey but it is listed as a terrorist group by Ankara. Turkey has recently upped its attacks against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region. It has also intensified its targeting of Kurdish fighters in northern Syria due to their alleged ties with the PKK. Baghdad has repeatedly condemned Turkey’s violations of its borders and called on armed groups not to use Iraqi territory to attack neighbouring nations. Civilians are frequently caught in the crossfire between Turkish forces and the PKK and hundreds of villages have been emptied with families moving in search of safety. PKK announced a unilateral ceasefire in February due to devastating quakes in Turkey and later extended it to include the Turkish elections period. The group ended the truce earlier this month.
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