Iraq
A suspected Turkish drone caused material damage to some houses in Shingal. Date: September 23, 2022. Photo: RojNews
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A suspected Turkish drone hit the Yazidi heartland of Shingal on Friday. No casualties have been reported. The attack targeted the base of an armed group affiliated to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), according to a local official.
RojNews, a media outlet affiliated to the PKK, reported that a “Turkish drone” hit Shingal’s Giruzayir town on Friday, adding that it was not clear if the attack caused any casualties.
Photos shared by the news outlet showed the damage caused to houses by the airstrike.
Khidir Khudeda, mayor of Giruzayir, told Rudaw that the attack took place in the afternoon, adding that it targeted a base of the PKK-affiliated Shingal Resistance Units (YBS).
“The losses are not clear but the base is located in an area populated by civilians,” he said.
The YBS controlled parts of Shingal months after it was invaded by the Islamic State (ISIS) militants in summer 2014.
Ankara occasionally carries out such attacks against the YBS in Shingal where several armed forces affiliated with the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the PKK, and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are present.
Turkey considers the YBS to be an offshoot of the PKK - an armed group fighting for the enhanced rights of Kurds in Turkey. The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, which carries out regular military campaigns against the group at home and in northern Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region.
RojNews, a media outlet affiliated to the PKK, reported that a “Turkish drone” hit Shingal’s Giruzayir town on Friday, adding that it was not clear if the attack caused any casualties.
Photos shared by the news outlet showed the damage caused to houses by the airstrike.
Khidir Khudeda, mayor of Giruzayir, told Rudaw that the attack took place in the afternoon, adding that it targeted a base of the PKK-affiliated Shingal Resistance Units (YBS).
“The losses are not clear but the base is located in an area populated by civilians,” he said.
The YBS controlled parts of Shingal months after it was invaded by the Islamic State (ISIS) militants in summer 2014.
Ankara occasionally carries out such attacks against the YBS in Shingal where several armed forces affiliated with the Iraqi government, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the PKK, and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are present.
Turkey considers the YBS to be an offshoot of the PKK - an armed group fighting for the enhanced rights of Kurds in Turkey. The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, which carries out regular military campaigns against the group at home and in northern Iraq, including in the Kurdistan Region.
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