ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Kurdish government has condemned the killing of seven civilians by Turkish airstrikes that happened on Tuesday in a village in Duhok Province, about 150 kilometers northwest of Erbil.
“We as the Kurdistan Regional Government condemn the Turkish airstrikes that resulted in the martyrdom of some civilians of the Kurdistan Region,” a statement from the Kurdish government read on Wednesday.
It also stated it demands Turkey to respect the principles of neighbourly relations.
“We demand the government of Turkey to stop such bombardments,” the statement continued.
Turkish jets attacked the areas near Shilazde while the civilians were busy with their daily lives, the statement explained, adding that it occurred with the “excuse” of fighters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) being present in the area.
The PKK is an armed Kurdish group that has waged a decades-long struggle seeking greater cultural and national rights for the millions of Kurdish people who mostly live in Turkey’s east and southeast.
The PKK, considered a terrorist organization by Ankara, has its headquarters in Kurdistan’s Qandil Mountain bordering Turkey.
