Turkey Bombs Six PKK Targets in Northern Iraq

On Tuesday, Turkey carried out a series of airstrikes into northern Iraq, hitting at least six positions belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey considers a terrorist group, and has been attacking for decades.

Attacks in Iraq are not uncommon for Turkey, and the Turkish parliament has endorsed military operations against the Kurds in Iraq and Syria. The Iraqi government has long opposed Turkish attacks, though recently some officials have soured on the presence of the PKK and have been less vocal over such strikes.

Turkey’s attacks did substantial damage to the attacked targets, in the Karjokh Mountains. Early reports confirmed casualties, but the exact toll has yet to be reported.

Attacks on the PKK in Iraq tend to come after violence in Syria or Turkey, but there was no apparent recent event precipitating this one.