Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) reported on 1 January that Turkish military operations in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq resulted in the death of 24 civilians during 2023, according to Roj News.
This information was disclosed by Kameran Osman, a member of the Iraqi Kurdistan Team of the CPT, highlighting the severe impact of Turkey’s military actions in the area.
In a detailed account, Osman revealed that of these 24 fatalities, 7 civilians were killed in unmanned Turkish aircraft attacks, 3 by Turkish warplanes and 1 civilian lost their life due to a landmine explosion. The remaining casualties were attributed to various other military operations conducted by Turkey in the region.
The report also provided a breakdown of casualties across different provinces: in the Duhok province, 5 civilians were killed and 3 injured; in Erbil province, 1 civilian died and 8 were injured; and in Sulaymaniyah province, 5 fatalities and 2 injuries were recorded.
These figures starkly contrast the claims made by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. During a budget discussion in the Turkish parliament on 21 December, Fidan responded to criticisms from Meral Danış Beştaş, Deputy Group Chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party). He asserted that Turkey’s cross-border operations had not resulted in any civilian casualties, a claim now directly challenged by the CPT’s findings.
