Turkish Drone Strikes Escalate Tensions with PKK in Northern Iraq

Turkish drone strikes killed five members of the Kurdistan Workers Party in northern Iraq. The initial strike targeted a vehicle in Dohuk, resulting in three deaths, including a senior PKK official. A subsequent strike killed two members of the Sinjar Resistance Units, affiliated with the PKK, in Sinjar.

In a significant escalation of military action, Turkish drone strikes in Northern Iraq have resulted in the deaths of five members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), according to Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service and local security sources.

The first strike targeted a vehicle late Saturday in a mountainous area near Dohuk and claimed the lives of three people, including a senior PKK official. This was followed by a similar strike on Sunday in the district of Sinjar, where two fighters from the Sinjar Resistance Units, an affiliate of the PKK, were killed.

These incidents highlight ongoing tensions in the region, where Turkey frequently conducts airstrikes against PKK militants and maintains multiple outposts. The PKK began an insurgency against the Turkish government in 1984, initially seeking an independent Kurdish state but later shifting its focus to greater rights and limited autonomy for Kurds in southeast Turkey.

(With inputs from agencies.)