Vehicle targeted by suspected Turkish air forces in Makhmour camp

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A vehicle was bombarded on Saturday afternoon by unidentified forces in Makhmour camp, which is controlled by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), according to Makhmour’s mayor. The attack is suspected to have been carried out by Turkish air forces. 

Rizgar Mohammed, mayor of Makhmour district in Erbil province, told Rudaw following the incident that a vehicle in the camp was targeted without elaborating more. 

Hours earlier, a suspected Turkish drone targeted a pickup vehicle in Sulaimani province’s Aghjalar subdistrict, killing all five passengers, including at least two PKK fighters, according to local officials.

PKK media also reported the attack without providing further details.

Turkish drones and jets often bombard the camp on the grounds of targeting PKK fighters. Three people were killed in a suspected Turkish airstrike near the camp in June 2021. 

Makhmour camp hosts more than 12,000 Kurdish refugees who fled persecution by the Turkish state, mainly in the 1990s. It is located in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad. 

Security Advisor at the Iraqi National Security Advisory Saad al-Jayashi told Rudaw in late February that the Iraqi government lost control of Makhmour camp when the Islamic State (ISIS) attacked Iraq and took control of large swaths of territory. He added that while the camp is no longer under their control, they are currently seeking to retake control of the administration, security and services of the camp.

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