Turkish warplanes bomb Kurdistan Region's Duhok

Kurdistan 11:36 AM - 2021-05-04

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Turkish warplanes bombed the Baze mountain range in the Dohuk governorate, a local official confirmed on Tuesday.

 

"Turkish warplanes bombed the Baze mountain range in the Kani Masi district of the Amedi district in the Dohuk governorate," Sarbast Akray, mayor of the Kani Masi sub-district.

 

"The bombing was very intense, and that the Turkish forces penetrated the borders of the Kurdistan Region by about 9 km, which led to the displacement of a large number of residents of the border villages in the region," Akray added.

 

Turkey has carried out cross-border offensives of varying magnitude against the PKK for decades. However, in recent years, it's begun to establish more of a sustained presence in a growing number of bases and checkpoints dotting the mountains of the Kurdistan Region. 

 

Turkey has repeatedly bombarded areas within the Kurdistan Region claiming that it is targeting PKK in the area. It has launched air and ground military operations in the Kurdistan Region in mid-June last year, on the grounds of targeting alleged PKK positions. 

 

Thousands of acres of land have been burnt and many villages have been evacuated due to Turkish bombings, and even civilian casualties have fallen due to the continuous Turkish operations in the Kurdistan Region.

 

According to Al-Monitor, Arzu Yilmaz, a Middle East scholar and visiting fellow at Hamburg University reckons that there are more than 5,000 Turkish forces currently deployed in Iraqi Kurdistan and Bashiqa, an area under Iraqi central government control lying east of Mosul.

 

KRG leaders have warned that the wave of Turkish incursions, which have caused dozens of civilian deaths has made advances, deploying troops within three kilometers of Duhok's Kesta village. Heavy clashes have terrified villagers and forced families to flee their homes. The Iraqi government frequently condemns Turkey’s operations but appears powerless to stop them.

 

It is noteworthy that the PKK is an armed Kurdish group that has fought the Turkish government for decades, seeking increased rights of Kurds. Turkey considers the PKK a terrorist organization and a threat to its national security and it frequently sends fighter jets, attack helicopters, drones, and ground troops across the border to fight the group.

 

 

 

PUKmedia