ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Suspected Turkish artillery hit two villages in Duhok province’s Amedi area late on Friday, causing fear among villagers, locals told Rudaw. The bombs struck Sargali and Barchi villages, which are both located in areas known for frequent clashes between the Turkish army and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). “The shelling is carried out by Turkey,” Sherwan Sargali from Sargali told Rudaw. Shelling of both villages has been going on for two days and has scared residents, he added. Seven shells struck Barchi village on Friday, resident Lazgin Barchi told Rudaw. The cleric said they do not know who carried out the shelling. Turkey has recently upped its efforts to curb the PKK threat on its border with the Kurdistan Region. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier this month that Ankara is close to completing a zone that will “permanently resolve” security issues along the border. He called on everyone in the region to respect Ankara’s security strategy or “be the cause of the tensions that will arise.” Earlier this month, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and head of its intelligence agency (MIT) Ibrahim Kalin visited Baghdad for a second round of high-level security talks. The first round was held in Ankara in December. A day after the meeting, The Iraqi National Security Council announced it was banning the PKK from operating in the country, claiming that the group poses a threat to Baghdad and Turkey.
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