Both strikes were carried out in Sinjar district, one of the heartlands of Iraq's non-Muslim Yazidi minority, which endured massacres and sex slavery during the brief but brutal rule of the Islamic State jihadist group in 2014.
The strikes targeted the Sinjar Resistance Units, a locally recruited militia affiliated with both the PKK and Iraq's Shiite-led paramilitary force Hashed al-Shaabi, with whom it fought against the jihadists.
"A Turkish military drone targeted a car carrying a (militia) security official and his bodyguard" in the town of Sinjar, killing both, the counter-terrorism services of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region said in a statement.
A similar strike on Monday killed three of the militia's fighters in their car in Sinjar region.
Outlawed by Turkey for waging a brutal insurgency in Kurdish-populated areas that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1984.
Turkey has dozens of military facilities in northern Iraq for use in its war against the PKK, and has repeatedly carried out strikes targeting the group in northern Iraq.
Last month, the PKK said it was temporarily halting its operations following the devastating February 6 earthquake that struck Turkey and neighbouring Syria.
Sinjar district lies outside the historic boundaries of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, but its Yazidi population is Kurdish-speaking.
Turkish drone kills 3 PKK-affiliated fighters in Iraq: Kurds
Arbil, Iraq (AFP) Feb 27, 2023 - A Turkish drone attack Monday in northern Iraq killed at least three fighters from the minority Yazidi community affiliated with the rebel Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Iraqi Kurdish officials said.
"A drone from the Turkish army targeted a vehicle" in the region, killing an officer and two combattants from the Yazidi Sinjar Resistance Units, a statement from the Kurdistan region's anti-terrorist squad said.
The three fighters were heading towards Sinjar, a stronghold of the Yazidis, at the time of the attack.
Turkey has dozens of military facilities in northern Iraq for use in its war against the PKK, and it has repeatedly carried out strikes targeting the group in northern Iraq, where it has bases, and its allies.
The Turkish army has yet to comment on Monday's reported drone strike.
Outlawed by Turkey for waging a brutal insurgency that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1984, the PKK said it was temporarily halting its operations following the devastating February 6 earthquake that struck Turkey and neighbouring Syria.
The Sinjar Resistance Units is also affiliated with the Shiite-led former paramilitary group Hashed al-Shaabi, and together they have fought against the Islamic State group to drive the jihadists from Iraq.
Related Links
News From Across The Stans
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
