Suspected Turkish airstrike hit Sulaymaniyah’s Mawat district with three PKK fights reported killed

SULAYMANIYAH — A Turkish military drone conducted airstrikes on two vehicles and a site linked to Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, fighters in Galala village of Mawat district, according to the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism in the Kurdistan Region.

The CTD, part of the Kurdistan Region Security Council, reported that the strikes occurred Thursday between 10:45 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. “A Turkish military drone targeted two vehicles and a gathering of PKK fighters in the vicinity of Galala village, located in the Mawat district of Sulaymaniyah governorate,” the statement read.

The attack resulted in the deaths of a PKK military official and two fighters, while two others remain unaccounted for, the CTD said.

Kamaran Osman, a coordinator with the U.S.-based Community Peacemaker Teams–Iraqi Kurdistan, told 964media that the airstrikes targeted Zhazholan Valley, Kwerakani, and Kewi Kuris in Galala village within Mawat district. “So far, the extent of the damage is unknown,” he added.

Osman also noted that heavy snowfall in the area has made it difficult for villagers to reach the bombed locations to assess any potential casualties or destruction.

Turkey often carries out ground and air operations in northern Iraq against the PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against Ankara.

A 2024 report by Community Peacemaker Teams found that Turkish and Iranian military operations have killed 425 civilians and wounded 420 in the Kurdistan Region since 1991, with Turkey responsible for more than 83% of recorded incidents.

This article has been updated