On Saturday evening, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denied that the Turkish airstrike, which resulted in the deaths of eight people in northwest Iraq on Tuesday, targeted a hospital. He stated that it struck a base of the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party), a militant group. In a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Erdogan said, "Contrary to the claims of the terrorist organization, the targeted site is not a hospital or health center, but one of the refuge locations of this organization," according to a statement from the Turkish presidency.
The Turkish bombardment that hit a hospital receiving a PKK member in the town of Sinjar led to eight fatalities, according to local administration reports. The administration stated on Wednesday, listing the victims' names, that "the number of martyrs from the Turkish bombardment reached eight, including four fighters from Brigade 80 and four hospital staff" who were in the facility that totally collapsed. Brigade 80 is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces and is affiliated with the Iraqi government. It was formerly known as the "Sinjar Protection Units," which were formed with the support of the PKK in 2014 to defend the city after it fell into the hands of ISIS.
Turkish forces regularly conduct operations against PKK rear bases in northern Iraq. The Iraqi National Security Council, led by Al-Kadhimi, condemned in a statement issued on Wednesday "the unilateral military actions that violate the principles of good neighborliness," expressing its rejection of "the use of Iraqi territory to settle scores by any party," without specifically mentioning Turkey or the PKK.
Since April 23, Ankara has been conducting a military operation to pursue PKK elements that use the Iraqi mountains adjacent to Turkey as bases to launch attacks against the Turkish state and its army.
