Duhok villagers terrified by suspected Turkish bombardment

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A suspected Turkish warplane on Saturday bombarded the countryside around a village in Duhok province, spreading fear among residents, according to a local source.

Abdulsattar Mersidi from Mersid village in Duhok province’s Shekhan district told Rudaw’s Nasir Ali that a Turkish warplane bombarded Mount Bekher near their village on Saturday morning.

There were no casualties, but the villagers were afraid, he added.

Turkey has bombed the area four times in the last three months on the grounds of targeting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), according to the villager.

The PKK is an armed group struggling for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey but considered a terrorist organisation by Ankara.

Ankara often targets suspected PKK sites and members at home as well as in Syria and Iraq.

Turkey has yet to comment on the bombardment.

Years of clashes between Turkey and the PKK have forced many families to flee their homes in northern Duhok, leaving whole villages empty.