Turkey dropped six bombs in the vicinity of Hirore village in Kani Masi sub-district on Saturday. They landed nearly a kilometer from Abdullah Hassan’s house, which is located on the edge of the village.
Hassan, his wife Hadiya Mustafa, and their daughter Zhiman were hospitalized two hours after smoke from the bombs reached their house.
“A Turkish bomb brought this to me. Smoke came towards me and I said ‘go inside as this smoke stinks.’ I went into the house,” Mustafa, 66, told Rudaw.
Turkey launched twin military operations against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Duhok province in late April. Hirore village is one of the areas where the fighting is intense.
Adeeb Mousa lives in the same village. He said that six bombs landed in the vicinity of the village and one of them “produced a black smoke” that spread to Hassan’s house. The others emitted a yellow smoke.
The family and health authorities suspect the bombs contained a toxic substance. The doctor who provided them with first aid at the nearby Rozana health center told Rudaw that the family’s symptoms were rare.
“They had breathing issues. Their eyes teared up and were painful. Two of them felt nauseous and dizzy. It was strange to me to see that a bombardment could cause these symptoms,” Dr. Rasul Mohammed told Rudaw.
Health authorities are investigating to see if the family was poisoned by the smoke. Hassan was discharged on Sunday, and his wife and daughter went home on Monday.
Amir Ali, head of Zakho health directorate’s media office, told Rudaw English on Monday that he has been in touch with the specialists regarding the incident, but said they cannot give details. “There is no equipment to know whether it was 100 percent a poisonous gas or something else,” he said.
The PKK is an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey and is considered a terrorist organization by the country. Ankara regularly attacks the group at home and inside the Kurdistan Region.
Hassan, 76, his wife, and their 28-year-old daughter have been impacted by Turkey’s military campaign several times. They narrowly survived a Turkish bombardment in late June when shrapnel hit the front of their house.
According to data from the Kani Masi mayor’s office, three civilians have been injured since April.
Additional reporting by Naif Ramazan and Khazan Jangiz
