On Tuesday, Turkey warplanes in the border regions of the Kurdistan Region. There were reports of jets flying at low altitudes over the Raperin area, and bombings were reported to have commenced in the Qandil mountain area. These military actions highlight the escalating tensions in the region and the ongoing cross-border conflicts.
The airstrikes were conducted at around 8:00 p.m. (Erbil Time), with the extent of possible casualties remains uncertain, though it has been confirmed that several doors and windows were shattered in a house located in the village of Endzey in Qandil area.
In addition, Muslih Zrar, the head of the local administration in Warte village located in Ruandz district said that Turkish warplanes targeted the villages of Bokriskan and Zargali in the region. Furthermore, the report states that Turkish fighter jets carried out airstrikes on the village of Ghala in Sulaymaniyah province and remained active near the border.
The governor of Mawat district, Kamran Hassan, confirmed that multiple Turkish warplanes bombed the village of Baski Qalê.
The recent increase in airstrikes by Turkey is seen as retaliation against the PKK after the militant group claimed responsibility for Sunday’s Ankara bombing.
On Sunday, Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a post on the social network X, “This morning, Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, at around 9:30 a.m. Two terrorists in a vehicle came to the entrance gate of the General Directorate of Security and carried out an attack on the premises. Later PKK said that They have conducted the attack. As response to Turkish bombardments on Arbat Airport which killed eight Peshmergas.
Turkey considers the PKK a terrorist organization. There has been a long-standing armed conflict between the two sides over the Kurdish issue within Turkey. Recently, Turkey has intensified its military campaign against the PKK in the border regions of the Kurdistan Region. On Monday, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced that its units targeted more than a dozen PKK locations in the Region.
This indicates the ongoing hostilities and heightened military operations in the area. Ongoing conflicts have resulted in the loss of many Kurdish lives recently. Since 1990s , numerous villages, towns, and settlements in the conflict zone have been deserted. A bilateral agreement between Iraq and Turkey permits the deployment of troops from each country into the other’s territory. Recently, there have been reports of Iraqi border guards moving closer to the Turkish borders to obstruct further Turkish advances. These developments reflect the efforts by Iraq to prevent any further escalation by Turkey and maintain stability along the border.
