ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A Turkish drone strike hit Shingal Sunday evening, killing three Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters, according to Iraq's top security sources, despite a local commander denying the strike.
The attack targeted a vehicle near the Yazidi Sharaf al-Din shrine, added the media cell statement dispersed on their Telegram channel.
Haidar Shasho, commander of the Ezidkhan Protection Force in Shingal, denies the strike took place.
"What the Iraqi government has published claiming a Turkish bombing is untrue. Only one [person] was in the car, and it burned then subsequentely exploded, [so it] was not bombed," he told Rudaw Sunday night.
Turkey has waged attacks on the Kurdistan Region for decades in pursuit of the PKK, an armed Kurdish group fighting for increased rights for Kurds in Turkey. In June, it launched air and ground operations, pushing close to heavily populated areas. Eight civilians in the Kurdistan Region have been killed since the beginning of the operations, as well as two Iraqi officials.
Ankara announced earlier this month that it had “successfully completed” its ground operation. Airstrikes, however, have continued and look unlikely to end as Turkey and Iran recently agreed to keep conducting joint operations against Kurdish groups they say threaten their security.
Updated at 9:20 AM
The attack targeted a vehicle near the Yazidi Sharaf al-Din shrine, added the media cell statement dispersed on their Telegram channel.
Haidar Shasho, commander of the Ezidkhan Protection Force in Shingal, denies the strike took place.
"What the Iraqi government has published claiming a Turkish bombing is untrue. Only one [person] was in the car, and it burned then subsequentely exploded, [so it] was not bombed," he told Rudaw Sunday night.
Turkey has waged attacks on the Kurdistan Region for decades in pursuit of the PKK, an armed Kurdish group fighting for increased rights for Kurds in Turkey. In June, it launched air and ground operations, pushing close to heavily populated areas. Eight civilians in the Kurdistan Region have been killed since the beginning of the operations, as well as two Iraqi officials.
Ankara announced earlier this month that it had “successfully completed” its ground operation. Airstrikes, however, have continued and look unlikely to end as Turkey and Iran recently agreed to keep conducting joint operations against Kurdish groups they say threaten their security.
Updated at 9:20 AM
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