ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Turkish war planes struck YBS-held areas of Shingal on Wednesday, killing local PKK head Zaki Shingali.
Khal Ali, a former YBS commander and a current Hashd al-Shaabi official, confirmed the killing of Zaki Shingali, the leader of all PKK forces in Shingal.
An archive photo of the slain local PKK leader Zaki Shingali speaking to Rudaw.
He added four YBS fighters were killed and Haval Mazlum, the general commander of YBS in Shingal was wounded.
Photo: Submitted to Rudaw
The Turkish military confirmed a joint operation between it and national intelligence carried out a joint operation on Wednesday in Shingal against the PKK and KCK, killing Ismail Ozden, also known as Zaki Shingali.
TSK ve MİB tarafından 15 Ağustos 2018 tarihinde gerçekleştirilen müşterek operasyonla, kırmızı listede aranan PKK/KCK bölücü terör örgütünün sözde yürütme konseyi üyesi ve Irak kuzeyi Sincar Sorumlusu Mam Zeki Şengali kod adlı İsmail Özden etkisiz hale getirilmiştir.
— TSK (@TSKGnkur) August 15, 2018
Qasim Shasho, a Peshmerga commander in Shingal, told Rudaw Turkish forces targeted a convoy of four YBS vehicles.
Photo: Submitted to Rudaw
A Yezidi activist group tweeted they were "very worried" about "more than five explosions."
@Free_Yezidi Foundation is very worried that Turkey has started striking Sinjar. At this moment we hear that there have been more than five explosions from airstrikes in different areas of Sinjar. One airstrike has hit one of the #YBS cars and some checkpoints. #Yezidi #Yazidi
— FreeYezidiFoundation (@Free_Yezidi) August 15, 2018
The YBS, with ties to the PKK, has previously said it would only incorporate locals.
Snune is a sub-district of Shingal, located in northwestern Iraq in the Kurdistan Region. The Shingal region is the Yezidi homeland.
A Yezidi organization's executive director, Yazda co-founder Murad Ismael, tweeted that ISIS survivors were in the southern Shingal town of Kocho to mourn four years after the genocide.
Survivors of Kocho are back to their village to mourn. It is important to mourn after the #Genocide. It is part of the process to heal. pic.twitter.com/P27OK0w19q
— Murad Ismael (@murad_ismael) August 15, 2018
The YBS convoy had returned from the fourth anniversary of the Yezidis massacre in Kocho village while they were targeted in the Sikne area near Snune, according to Shasho.
The bombing came a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited Ankara where he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Abadi had said in his meeting with Erodgan that Iraq would not allow any group to threaten neighboring Turkey using Iraq's territory.
]Updated at 10:23 p.m.
