Turkey has significantly escalated its military operations in northern Iraq and the Kurdistan Region this month, carrying out over 1,500 cross-border attacks since the beginning of April, according to field reports compiled by RojNews and local monitors.
The bombardments have targeted at least 20 locations across the Duhok, Gare, Zap and Metîna regions, with a concentrated focus on rural villages near Amadiya (Amêdîye) and the Qandil mountains. In the four days between 15 and 18 April alone, the Turkish Armed Forces reportedly launched 629 strikes using fighter jets, drones, artillery and heavy weaponry.
The Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), an international monitoring group, confirmed that 27 separate strikes took place on 18 April in the Amadiya area, impacting villages such as Mijê, Kevne Mijê and Sîpandar. Although no casualties were reported, the attacks caused significant damage to homes, farmland, and civilian infrastructure.
Despite a unilateral ceasefire announced by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Ankara’s operations show no sign of de-escalation. Kurdish media outlets and humanitarian organisations accuse Turkey of targeting areas used by civilians for recreation, further endangering local populations and accelerating forced displacement.
Turkey has also reportedly expanded its network of military outposts inside Iraq. According to RojNews, 82 Turkish military camps and bases now exist within Iraqi territory, with some situated as far as 200 kilometres beyond the border. These include drone launch sites and surveillance checkpoints scattered across key mountain corridors.
In a statement released on 18 April, the People’s Defence Forces (HPG), the armed wing of the PKK, claimed that Turkey launched 629 attacks between 15 and 18 April. These included both aerial bombardments and artillery strikes on areas such as the Zap and Metina regions.
In Baghdad, the escalation has drawn criticism from Iraqi lawmakers. MP Weîd Qedo, a member of the parliamentary defence committee, warned of what he called “a dangerous scenario” involving Turkish-trained proxy groups based in the Zilkan Camp near Mosul. He alleged that nearly 300 fighters, equipped with armoured vehicles and drones, are being prepared to implement an “Idlib-style” security model in Nineveh province.
“There is active collaboration between certain Iraqi political groups and Turkish intelligence, which is enabling this military expansion,” Qedo told RojNews. “The government must take firm action rather than issuing statements of condemnation.”
In February, Iraqi MP Hussein al-Ameri, also a member of the Security and Defence Committee, warned of an “unprecedented Turkish expansion” inside Iraq, citing the establishment of at least 40 military bases, primarily in the Kurdistan Region. He described the Turkish presence—including ground incursions, new base construction, and air and artillery strikes—as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and international norms. Al-Ameri also accused Turkey of operating without Baghdad’s consent, particularly in Duhok and Erbil (Hewler) provinces, and warned that entire districts had come under Turkish control under the pretext of fighting the PKK.
The continued presence of Turkish forces—alongside the lack of an effective response from Baghdad or international bodies—has raised concerns over Iraq’s territorial sovereignty and the possibility of prolonged conflict in contested Kurdish regions.
