Suspected Turkish airstrike kills Kurdish civilian in Soran

SORAN – A suspected Turkish airstrike in the Bradost area of Soran has resulted in the death of a Kurdish civilian, local authorities confirmed.

Karwan Faisal, director of Sidakan Hospital, told 964media that the victim’s body had been brought to the hospital following the strike. The victim, a 29-year-old man, was engaged in farming and livestock activities with his uncle when the incident occurred. While the uncle survived, the young man suffered a fatal head injury and died instantly. His body has been transferred to the forensic medicine department in Soran for further examination.

This fatality comes on the heels of a series of Turkish airstrikes across the Kurdistan Region on Monday. According to the American human rights organization Community Peacemaker Teams – Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkish warplanes and drones conducted 24 separate attacks in various districts, targeting areas in Duhok, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah provinces.

Just last month, on July 12, two shepherds were injured by Turkish shelling in the Bradost area. The bombardment, which targeted the Lolan resort and Shakiu Mountain, also resulted in the death of six animals belonging to the shepherds.

Turkey frequently conducts military operations in the Kurdistan Region, targeting what it alleges are bases of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. The PKK, an armed Kurdish group, has been in conflict with the Turkish government over Kurdish rights since the early 1980s.

A report by Community Peacemaker Teams, published on August 14, revealed that since 1991, 425 civilians in the Kurdistan Region have been killed and 420 others injured due to military actions by Turkey and Iran. The report indicates that over 83% of these incidents are attributed to Turkish military operations, which have had a significant impact on civilian life. The intensified military campaigns between 2018 and 2024 have pushed Turkish forces 15 kilometers into the region, leading to the evacuation of multiple villages by the summer of 2024.