Turkish drones targeted residential areas in Choman (Balekayeti) in Erbil (Hewlêr) and Mawat in Sulaymaniyah (Silêmanîyê) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on Saturday evening, Roj News reported.
As a result of the shelling, civilians in a village in the Mawat area have reportedly suffered damage, while damage to settlements in other areas is still unknown.
Turkey has been conducting cross-border military operations against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) positions in the Zap, Avaşîn and Metîna regions of Iraqi Kurdistan. Recent months have seen the Turkish military escalate its targeting of Kurdish groups in northern Iraq and northeastern Syria.
The increased attacks follow Turkey’s May elections, in which President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan secured another term.
🔴 In 2023, the Kurdish areas of Syria and Iraq have become a hotbed of heightened tensions as Turkey has stepped up its military operations. Here is a panoramic view of the rise of conflict in the region.
🔸 Flashback 2023: Escalation of Turkish aggression towards Kurdish… pic.twitter.com/ZfjXkA18un
— MedyaNews (@medyanews_) December 31, 2023