US urges Turkey to coordinate with Iraq, KRG on cross-border operations

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US consulate in Erbil told Rudaw English that it condemns “any loss of civilian life” in the recent drone strikes in Sulaimani province this week, adding that it has called on Turkey to coordinate cross-border operations with authorities in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

“We have seen press reports of suspected drone strikes in Sulaimani in recent days. We have no further information about these incidents,” the US Consulate General’s spokesperson said in an email to Rudaw English's Karwan Faidhi Dri on Sunday.

Three civilians were killed, including a father and daughter, on Friday when a suspected Turkish drone hit their car on a busy road in southeastern Sulaimani province. 

On Wednesday, a suspected Turkish drone struck a car on Sulaimani province’s Dukan-Khalakan road, which lies on one of the main routes between Erbil and Sulaimani cities. Two people were wounded and one of them, a newly-engaged man, later succumbed to his injuries.

“If civilians were harmed, we condemn any loss of civilian life and offer condolences to the families,” the statement added. 

The strike on Friday claimed the life of Rayan, a college student studying medicine, her father Ziyad Mustafa and his friend Hasan Ahmad Kashmoola. The three were going to the border to meet Hasan’s daughter who studies medicine in Tehran. Telecommunications company Asiacall confirmed that Hasan was an employee there.  

All three victims were Arabs from Mosul who had fled to Duhok because of “the unrest in Mosul,” read the statement from Asiacell on Saturday.
A similar drone attack against a vehicle in Sulaimani province's Aghjalar subdistrict on Sunday was blamed on Turkey. No casualties were reported in the incident. 

Turkey often targets areas in Sulaimani province on the grounds of attacking the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters, but these latest strikes have struck in popular civilian areas which are not typically targeted.

“We recognize the legitimate security threat the PKK poses to Turkiye,” the spokesperson said.

“We have urged the Government of Turkiye to coordinate closely with Iraqi and IKR [Kurdistan Region] authorities on cross-border military operations and to protect civilians from harm,” the statement added.

The Erbil-based Directorate General of Counter Terrorism (CTD), which often reports Turkish attacks in the Kurdistan Region, has attributed the recent strikes as being carried out by Turkish drones targeting the PKK.  

CTD is unofficially linked to the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which has had rocky relations with the PKK for decades. There have been clashes over control of territory between KDP-affiliated Peshmerga forces and PKK fighters in bordering areas in recent years.

The PKK is an armed Kurdish group fighting for greater rights for Kurds in Turkey. Turkish forces frequently cross the border to pursue the group in the Kurdistan Region where the PKK has its headquarters. Civilians are often caught in the crossfire.

A flight ban on Sulaimani International Airport by Turkey has been in place since April 3. The Turkish foreign ministry has said that the ban, which is to remain in effect until January, is related to the alleged “intensification” of PKK activity in Sulaimani.

There has been no comment from the Sulaimani-based Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s (PUK) counter terrorism force. 

Ankara has not commented on any of the drone strikes this past week. Neither the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) nor the Iraqi government have issued any statements regarding the alarming uptick in drones targeting popular civilian areas. 

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