The strike targeted a YBS base in Shingal’s Khalaf village at around 5am, resulting in the killing of the three fighters, according to the statement from the counterterrorism unit.
The YBS is an all-Yazidi force linked with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
Media affiliated to the PKK claimed that the Turkish drone targeted “a house” without mentioning any links to the YBS, also stating that the number of casualties and the extent of damages remain unknown.
The attack blamed on Turkey is the latest in a series of deadly drone strikes by Ankara on the Kurdistan Region, claiming to target PKK fighters and their alleged proxies. This is the second alleged Turksih attack on YBS bases since the May 14 Turkish presidency and parliamentary elections.
At least three YBS fighters were killed in a Turkish drone strike on May 16, reported the Kurdish counterterrorism. PKK-affiliated media claimed that the attack targeted a civilian house in Shingal without resulting in any casualties.
The PKK is a Kurdish force fighting for the increased political and cultural rights of Kurds in Turkey and has waged an armed insurgency against Ankara for decades. It is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, who frequently targets the group and its alleged offshoots through military operations and drone strikes in the Kurdistan Region and Syria.
YBS has controlled parts of Shingal since ISIS was defeated in the town but the presence of the force and several other forces in the district has been blamed for insecurity which has prevented thousands of its residents who fled due to the war on ISIS from returning.
