Tragedy in Northern Iraq: Turkish Airstrike Claims Lives of Two Female Journalists

Two female journalists, Hero Baha'uddin and Golestan Tara, were killed in a Turkish airstrike in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region. Six other journalists were injured. Turkish officials claimed the strike targeted the PKK. The incident has drawn condemnation and highlights ongoing tensions and violence in the region.

In a tragic incident, two female journalists, Hero Baha'uddin and Golestan Tara, lost their lives in a Turkish airstrike in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, local officials and media reported on Friday.

The journalists, who were part of a local Kurdish media company, were identified by Roj News and an official from Sulaimaniyah province, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to a lack of authorization to comment publicly.

Qubad Talabani, deputy prime minister of the Kurdish regional government, condemned the strike, stating, "They were two women journalists, not members of an armed force to be a threat to the security and stability of any country or region."

Roj News further reported that six other journalists were injured "with varying degrees of severity."

An initial statement from the Kurdish region's counter-terrorism service mentioned a strike near the village of Teperash targeting a car carrying members of the PKK, a Kurdish separatist group banned in Turkey and Iraq.

It was not immediately clear if the two accounts of the strike were referencing the same incident and whether one or two cars were involved. Turkey's foreign ministry did not immediately comment but earlier announced the "neutralization" of 16 PKK members in other parts of northern Iraq.

The ongoing conflict between the PKK and Turkey has seen frequent strikes in Syria and Iraq by Turkish forces. Baghdad has repeatedly condemned these acts as breaches of its sovereignty, though it has also recently taken a harder stance against the PKK.

(With inputs from agencies.)