Turkish warplanes bomb Kurdistan border areas for third day

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Turkish fighter jets have continued to bomb areas inside the Kurdistan Region for the third consecutive day, targeting several villages in Sangasar and Warte districts, about 130 kilometers east of Erbil.

 

Warte Mayor Muslih Zrar told Rudaw that Turkish fighter jets intensively bombed Bokriskiyan village on Sunday, adding that fortunately it did not result in the loss of lives or material.

 

A Rudaw reporter from the area said that the at least one of the attacks was about 300 meters from residential areas, causing panic.

 

He said that the fighter jets also attacked the two villages of Kurtak and Gali Badraniyan in the Sangasar district.

 

The two districts are close to areas in Qandil Mountains under the control of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been engaged in a three-decade-long war against the Turkish state.

 

The Turkish air force also attacked several areas on Saturday and Friday in the Amedi area, near the Turkish border.

 

Around 2 p.m. on Saturday, Turkish warplanes bombed the villages of Delashe and Kaniye in Amedi in Duhok province.

 

Rudaw’s correspondent reported that initially the airstrikes targeted a vehicle of PKK fighters, and later an empty civilian car. The warplanes were spotted flying very low.

 

No casualties were reported due to the airstrike.

 

Turkish fighter jets also on Friday bombed the Amedi area, injuring a 35-year-old woman in the aerial attacks.

 

The injured woman's husband claimed that the Turkish army knows the locations of the PKK positions, but still targeted areas where civilians were.

 

He said the PKK should leave the area in order to end the bombings and allow villagers to return to their homes

 

The PKK has some 5,000 guerrilla fighters stationed mostly in the remote bordering areas of the Kurdistan Region.

 

Violent clashes resumed when peace talks collapsed between the PKK and the Turkish government in June 2015 with the army attacking guerrilla positions inside cities in southeastern Turkey.

 

Casualty figures released by the Turkish army and the PKK widely differ. They both appear to increase those killed within the opposing force and minimize the losses suffered on their own sides.