ERBIL, Kurdistan Region ─ Amnesty International announced Tuesday that fresh evidence of casualties underlines the need for an impartial investigation into Turkish airstrikes on Zargali village, at the base of the Qandil Mountainst in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, which killed 10 people and injured dozens of others.
In a statement, Amnesty said its fact-finding mission indicates that as the result of multiple Turkish government airstrikes on August 1, eight civilians were killed and at least eight others injured.
Turkish authorities immediately after the attack claimed that Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) military outposts and guerrillas were targeted by the Turkish fighter jets.
Amnesty rejected the claim and emphasized that it found no checkpoints, police stations, or fixed military positions in Zargali village. According to Amnesty, the nearest fixed checkpoints were approximately 25 km and 3-5 km away on either side of the village.
“The recent attacks in Qandil maimed, killed, and displaced residents, destroying homes and terrifying locals in an area where no military targets appeared to be present,” said Lama Fakih, senior crisis adviser at Amnesty International, who visited the area.
Amnesty added that evidence of Zargali’s casualties raises serious concerns about the lawfulness of the attack in Qandil. The rights group has called for an independent, impartial investigation to ensure accountability and reparations for victims and their families.
“Whether or not the clashes between the PKK and the Turkish government amount to a non-international armed conflict, under both the laws of war and international human rights law, the killing of residents not affiliated with the PKK is unlawful,” read the statement.
Tensions in Turkey escalated after a suicide attack killed 32 people and injured more than 80 in the town of Suruç in Turkey's Sanlıurfa province. Two days later, the PKK claimed responsibility for the assassination of two Turkish officers in the province.
Following a hail of airstrikes on the PKK’s strong hold in the Qandil Mountains, the rebel group has launched a number of attacks against military outposts and police positions within Turkey.
Turkey claims its attacks are “in retaliation” for the killings of two Turkish police officers that were killed by thePKK.
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