LIVE UPDATES: Five Peshmerga killed in Turkish air strike on Mount Shingal

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1:05pm

Five Kurdish parties including PUK, Gorran, Islamic parties strongly condemn attack

Five factions in the Kurdistan Parliament strongly condemned bombing Mount Shingal by Turkish warplanes on Tuesday, calling on the international community to stop Turkey.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the Change Movement (Gorran), Kurdistan Islamic Union (KIU, Ykegirtu) Kurdistan Islamic Group (Komal) and Kurdistan Islamic Movement, unanimously issued a statement saying “once again, Turkish warplanes violated the sovereignty of the land of the Kurdistan Region and bombed the bases of Peshmerga and {PKK affiliated} fighters as well as people’s public places and other areas.”

The parties also urged the UN and the International community to condemn the attack and deter the Turkish army from acting outside its territory as these acts are against international laws.

The statement also urged the Kurdish parties to unanimously react and speak up against this attack.

The five parties stressed that the Kurdistan parliament in light of this catastrophic event and other concerns should embody the attitude of the people of the Kurdistan Region. 

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12:35pm

PKK-affiliate group confirms death of a fighter

Speaking to the PKK media, Mazloum Shingali, commander of the PKK affiliated YBS in Shingal confirmed the death of a fighter in today’s airstrikes carried out by Turkish warplanes. 

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12:07 p.m.

Peshmerga Ministry calls attacks against its soldiers by Turkey "unacceptable"

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Peshmerga Ministry condemned Turkish airstrikes leading to the death of five Peshmerga soldiers and wounding seven others.
 
“The martyrdom and wounding of Peshmerga is saddening and bombing the Peshmerga by Turkish warplanes is unacceptable,” read a statement by the Peshmerga ministry.
 
The Peshmerga Ministry also says the PKK is responsible for all that happening in Shingal.
 
“We also announce that all the trouble is due to the PKK’s presence in the area and their presence has brought headache and trouble to the region’s people and the Kurdistan Region,” it added.
 
Despite excessive calls on the PKK to leave the region, they have yet to “listen to anyone.”
 
“Hereby, we once again repeat our call on the PKK to withdraw its forces from Mount Shingal and to cause no more instability or deepening of problems in the region and allow life to be restored to the region’s people.”  

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12:00 p.m.

The mayor of Shingal calls on Turkey and the PKK not to transfer their decade-long rivalries to Shingal.

“We call on Turkey and the PKK not to bring in their conflicts to Shingal. Shingal itself is already in wreckage. It needs the language of dialogue of reconstruction,” Mahma Khalil told Rudaw by phone.

Commenting on the presence of PKK affiliate offshoots in the Shingal region, Khalil explained “we have warned UNAMI, the US embassy [in Baghdad] and the countries’ embassies more than 10 times that forces illegally present in the region not lead to further bombardment of the region.”

Khalil detailed that in today’s airstrikes a total of five bases have been bombed, including one that belonged to Peshmerga. 

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11:23am

The General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces claimed in a statement that their airstrikes on Mount Shingal in the Kurdistan Region and Derik in Rojava of northern Syria were to push back threats on its country and that the operations will continue.

“To protect the security of our borders from attacks and threats of the terrorist groups and the transfer of weapons and ammunition to terrorists in Turkish land to carry out terrorists acts and destabilize the security of the country, Turkish warplanes carried out an aerial operation within the context of international law,” read the statement.

The statement also reads “the Turkish army and security forces with strong morale will maintain the military operations to face off any threats which are aimed at targeting the security and stability of the country.”

“The operations will continue until the terrorists have completely been eliminated.”

The wreckage of a base by Turkish warplanes on Mount Shingal. Photo: Roj News

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11:04am

A Peshmerga eyewitness who was at the site of the Turkish airstrikes on Mount Shingal told Rudaw that “the missile which hit the Peshmerga was the last one to land.”

The eyewitness went on to recall the moment of the airstrikes, saying “the incident happened at 2:10am. We called other Peshmerga soldiers and they told us missiles were being fired at the PKK. We advised them to take care of themselves and avoid the airstrike. But they declined saying they were with weapons and could not leave.”

He explained that the warplanes fired 20 missiles against PKK positions “but the last one hit a Peshmerga base,” killing five and wounding seven others.

Colonel Ramazan Aradani, in charge of the Peshmerga location hit by the warplanes said due to the close proximity between PKK bases and that of theirs, two missiles hit their base.

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10:42am

A Peshmerga official on Mount Shingal,  Brig. Smel Busli told Rudaw that “PKK is the reason for what has happened in Shingal.”

Busli added if the PKK leaves Shingal, then Turkey will not send its warplanes to the area. 

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10:24am

A local official in Shingal  revealed to Rudaw that 5 five PKK affiliated fighters were wounded on Tuesday in the Turkish airstrike against their bases on Mount Shingal. 

Khidr Salih, head of the Shingal Reconstruction Council added that, no civilians were killed or wounded in the airstrike. 

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9:54am

In the wake of Turkish airstrikes in Shingal and Derik, the leader of the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) urged the international community to force Turkey to stop its airstrikes on the PYD armed group, People’s Protection Units and Shingal Protection Units (YBS) in Shingal.

Salim Muslim slammed Turkish airstrikes on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) affiliate, YBS on Mount Shingal in the Kurdistan Region and YPG bases in Derik in Rojava of northern Syria stating “Shingal and Rojava were targeted. But in reality, the nation strives to resist. The people raised their condemnations to the highest level. The coalition must not be silent.”

“A nation facing the most brutal terrorist group is being targeted today. The international coalition must no longer keep silence and accept this assault,” he said.

Muslim went on to say “with deploying its [Turkish] troops on the border area we understood that they intended to carry out military operations and prepared to launch assaults. We had the knowledge they would attack and it was expected.”

The PYD leader said “this attack does not scare the Kurdistan nation.”

Casualties among YBS fighters have not been reported yet.

Salih Muslim, co-chairman  of the Democratic Union Party (PYD). 

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9:45am

The People’s Protection Units (YPG) announced that Turkish airplanes launched a large-scale attack on their headquarters on Mount Karachok near the city of Derik in Rojava. 

The YPG statement issued by PKK affiliated media outlets reads “in the early morning of Tuesday at 2am, Turkish warplanes launched a wide-scale attack on the Central Command of the YPG on Mount Karachouk near the city of Derik.”

At least 18 members of the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) were killed in the Turkish air strikes in the town of Derik in Rojava. Group's media report.

It added that the Central Command unit on Mount Karachouk included “the media center, radio station, relations center and some military agencies. In this intense attack a number of our fighters lost their lives and some others were wounded. Names will be released at a later time.”