The mountain, located west of Duhok city, near the Kurdistan Region’s border with Turkey, is one of the latest sites to be hit in the Turkish offensive launched Monday to target suspected positions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the region.
The source, who preferred not to be named, added that the sound of the planes have terrified the villagers of Brjeen and Qashafir, but no casualties have been reported so far.
Hussein Chalki, mayor of Semel, told Rudaw that it is not clear whether airstrikes hit the area or sound bombs were dropped.
The targeted mountain is located 50km west of Duhok city.
Mustaq Ismet, head of Mangesh sub-district where Brjeen village is located, also told Rudaw that no casualties have been reported so far.
Turkish warplanes and Iranian artillery have pounded the Kurdistan Region’s border areas in an offensive launched this week to target suspected positions of the PKK in the region.
While not officially labelled a joint operation, media outlets close to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) say Turkey and Iran agreed to jointly fight what they called Kurdistan Region-based cross-border "terrorism".
Turkey announced Monday the launch of Operation Claw-Eagle, targeting suspected PKK bases in the disputed territories of Shingal and Makhmour, as well as Qarachogh, Mount Qandil, Khuakurk, and Zap across the Kurdistan Region.
Hami Aksoy, spokesperson for Turkey’s foreign ministry, calls on Iraq to cooperate with it to fight the PKK.
“We expect our neighbor Iraq to act in cooperation and harmony with our country in our fight against PKK terrorism,” reads a ministry statement.
It added that their ambassador in Baghdad has said this to the relevant Iraqi authorities.
Turkey regularly carries out airstrikes and ground operations against suspected PKK positions inside the Kurdistan Region.
Currently based in the Qandil Mountains along the Turkey-Kurdistan Region-Iran border, the PKK is an armed group that fights for greater political rights for Kurds in Turkey. Decades of fighting with Turkey has led to the death of tens of thousands, including civilians.
Civilians are routinely caught in the crossfire of the continuous conflict in the Kurdistan Region border areas. A Kurdish shepherd from the town of Harir is the first reported civilian casualty in the recent Turkish offensive into northern Iraq.
Reporting by Nasir Ali
