ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) affiliate group confirmed on Saturday the death of seven fighters in a Turkish airstrike in northern Sulaimani province last week.
The East Kurdistan Protection Units Command revealed the identities of seven of their fighters killed in Turkish airstrikes on August 7 near Qamish village, 50 kilometres north of Sulaimani city.
The slain PKK fighters include six women and one man, according to PKK-affiliated Firat News Agency.
Hours following the attack, Turkey’s Ministry of Defense claimed that it had “neutralized” seven PKK fighters in the strike.
Turkey launched its current air offensive in the Kurdistan Region on June 15, with the stated aim of removing PKK fighters from border areas. Operations have focused on areas in Duhok province’s Zakho region, Sulaimani's Sharbazher district and Erbil's Soran district where villagers living in the mountains have borne the brunt of Turkey's bombing.
Seven civilians have been killed and many villages have been abandoned since mid-June.
The PKK, an armed Kurdish group seeking greater cultural and political rights for Kurds in Turkey, has been in conflict with Ankara for decades. At least 5,000 people have been killed in clashes and attacks since peace efforts failed in July 2015, according to the International Crisis Group. The group has its headquarters in the Kurdistan Region’s Qandil mountains.
Kamaran Hassan, mayor of Mawat town, confirmed to Rudaw that agricultural lands were set ablaze as a result of the attack.
This week has seen a surge in Turkey's intensified air campaign against the suspected PKK positions.
Two Iraqi border guard commanders and a soldier were killed on Tuesday in a Turkish drone strike.
Baghdad and Arab and European allies have criticized Turkey’s violations of Iraqi sovereignty.
Baghdad summoned Turkish Ambassador Fatih Yildiz for the third time on Wednesday, demanding Turkey cease its bombardment and withdraw its troops from Iraqi soil. Turkey, however, has carried out at least two deadly airstrikes since that meeting and Ankara demanded Baghdad take measures against the PKK and “assume a principled stance against terrorism.”
On Friday, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein had separate phone calls with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and British Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa James Cleverley. He asked the Europeans to “play an active role to stop the repeated attacks from the Turkish side and make it withdraw its forces from Iraqi land.”
Paris has previously condemned Turkish military strikes in the Kurdistan Region.
The United States has urged Ankara to coordinate its anti-PKK activities with Baghdad.
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