Turkey conducts rare strike in Iraq's Sulaimaniyah province against PKK
Most Turkey-PKK fighting takes place in other parts of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq where Turkey has military bases.
Turkey bombed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targets in Iraq’s Sulaimaniyah province, Turkish authorities announced today. Turkey-PKK clashes in this area in the Kurdistan Region near the Iranian border are relatively uncommon.
Turkish armed forces and intelligence operatives either killed or captured five PKK fighters in the Asos area, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu News Agency reported today. The fighters died in an aerial attack, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said. Anadolu also reported today that five PKK fighters were either killed or captured in the Hakurk and Haftanin areas. Turkey often does not specify whether it has killed or captured PKK fighters, instead using the term “neutralized.”
Turkey frequently bombs PKK targets in Iraqi Kurdistan territory. The PKK also attacks Turkish forces in the region, most recently opening fire at a Turkish base near the border this month.
What makes the Asos attack significant, however, is that it took place in Sulaimaniyah province. Asos is a mountain about 35 miles north of the city Sulaimaniyah, which is the second-largest in the Kurdistan Region. The area is controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), which historically has had warm relations with the PKK and relatedly poor relations with Turkey. The PKK and its Iran-based affiliates have operated there in recent years, and Turkey bombed the area twice in 2017, according to the Iraqi Kurdish outlet Kurdistan 24.
