Two Civilians Killed in Turkish Airstrike in Duhok Province, Northern Iraq

Two civilians were killed in a Turkish airstrike in the mountainous Shiladzi area of Duhok province in northern Iraq, according to two security sources on Friday. The Turkish Ministry of Defense stated that its forces carried out two airstrikes in northern Iraq and northern Syria last night, resulting in the deaths of six militants in Iraq and seven in Syria. The ministry did not provide further details in its post on the social media platform X. It did not specify the areas targeted in the strikes, and it was unclear whether it was referring to the same incident in northern Iraq reported by the security sources. Turkey regularly conducts airstrikes and cross-border operations in neighboring Iraq as part of its campaign against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is primarily based in the mountainous region of northern Iraq. The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU, began its armed conflict against Turkey in 1984, resulting in the deaths of over 40,000 people. Turkey has also launched a series of military attacks and bombings in northern Syria against the Syrian Democratic Forces, which it considers an extension of the PKK.