ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkey justified its air raid on a village in the Kurdistan Region in which 10 civilians were reportedly killed, claiming the village was home to senior members of its outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
“Hearing that many civilians were killed due to airstrikes, we were saddened, and we attempt to avoid civilian casualties in the future air raid operations,” said a statement by the Turkish foreign ministry on Saturday.
Turkish jets and artillery have been pounding PKK camps in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Qandi Mountains for more than a week. Civilians were reportedly killed in an attack on the village of Zargali on Saturday.
The “village was home to many PKK high-ranking leaders and officials,” the foreign ministry statement claimed.
Turkey has stressed it will investigate the civilian deaths together with authorities in the Kurdistan Region.
“In the near future we will release the results of the investigations,” read the statement.
“According to our intelligence information, there were no civilians at the site of the bombing, but some PKK officials and high-ranking leaders,” it added.
Turkey claims its attacks are “in retaliation” for the killings of two Turkish police officers late last month, for which the PKK claimed responsibility.
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