No casualties reported
Turkish airstrike disrupts travel, power on eve of Newroz celebrations in Qandil
QANDIL — Turkish military aircraft bombed the Kurtak road in the Qandil Mountains on Tuesday evening, damaging the area’s electricity network, according to a human rights group.
Kamaran Osman, director of the U.S.-based rights group Community Peacemaker Teams (CPT), told 964media that the airstrike damaged the main road between the Valley of Martyrs and the Qandil foothills.
“The road was closed for approximately an hour and a half but was quickly repaired to allow Newroz festival-goers to travel and participate [in celebrations] tomorrow,” Osman said.
Newroz, a Kurdish spring festival, is celebrated annually on Qandil Mountain and draws participants from across Kurdistan.
The bombing disrupted electricity to 12 villages in the Qandil area, Osman said. Electrical crews were working to restore service.
“Fortunately, there were no casualties, only material damage,” Osman added.
Turkey regularly conducts airstrikes in areas of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, citing the presence of Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants. CPT monitors Turkish military activity in the region with the group reporting that military operations and airstrikes resulted in the deaths of 11 civilians and injuries to 13 others in 2023.