The Turkish Armed Forces launched a new air-and-ground campaign on Friday 23 April in northern Iraq. Turkish ministry of defence stated that the operations target Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) zones covering the Zap, Avaşin, Basyan, Qandil and Gara regions, mainly in the Metina region, also known as “Medya Defence Zones”.
However, recent video footages recorded by the locals in Iraq revealed that civillian residental areas are also effected by the air strikes of the Turkish helicopter strikes.
Locals of the Kêste village located in the Amadiya (Amêdiyê) region in northern Iraq recorded the moments of the strikes in the areas surrounding their village.
Recording the strikes by attack helicopters, reportedly belonging to the Turkish air force, a villager shared the following information regarding the ongoing clashes between the Turkish armed forces and Kurdish fighters: “The area surrounding the village up to 50-100 meters are under bombardment. In some places around the village our barns have been burned down.
“The PKK hit the Turkish soldiers in Redê, where the sounds of clashes ended. Some [Turkish] soldiers ran away to our village, some soldiers ran away towards Khabur. Soldiers in the Kestê hillside are now under attack.
“We call on our own state, come help the people here.”
