Unmanned combat drones of the Turkish state have bombed parts of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The attacks Tuesday morning targeted villages near Şarbajêr and Balekayetî, the RojNews agency reported, citing sources in the affected areas. It is unclear whether any people were injured. It is also not yet possible to estimate the extent of the damage caused.

According to RojNews, the target of the attack in Şarbajêr was the village of Birzut at the foothills of the massif of the same name in the town of Mawet, which is located in the north of the Sulaymaniyah governorate and a good 200 kilometres from Turkish territory. In the Balekayetî region, the village of Gundê Jor was attacked. The village is part of the town of Hacî Omeran, which is located around 180 kilometres north-east of Hewlêr (Erbil). The KRI authorities have not yet commented on the attacks.

Attacks by Turkey that violate international law have been routine in southern Kurdistan for years. The Turkish air force regularly bombs the territory of the KRI and Iraq, especially where PKK guerrillas are suspected. But civilian settlements are also regularly attacked by the Turkish army. With its aerial terror, Ankara is pursuing a targeted policy of displacement – in particular by destroying civilian infrastructure. The aim is to drive out the guerrillas and permanently occupy KRI territories.

Since Turkey expanded its occupation offensive ‘Operation Claw Lock’ in South Kurdistan in 2022 June, there have been daily attacks in the region. According to the Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT) Iraqi Kurdistan, at least nine civilians have been killed by Turkish terror since the beginning of the year. Dozens of villages have been forcibly evacuated to make way for new Turkish army bases. The CPT estimates that hundreds of families have lost their homes as a result of the war in Kurdistan over the past two months.