Illustrative image.
On July 22, two suicide drones attacked a base of the Turkish military near Bamerne town in the province of Duhok in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.
The Sabereen News channel on Telegram, which has ties to pro-Iranian armed factions, said that the attack was carried out by the “Iraqi resistance”. According to the news channel, two Murad-5 drones targeted an artillery battery at Bamerne base.
Turkish news sources acknowledged that Bamerne base was attacked by two drones. However, they alleged that both drones were intercepted.
The drone attack was likely a response to the July 20 Turkish strikes on Zakho district in Duhok. The strikes, which targeted a number of tourist resorts, claimed the lives of nine civilians, including a one-year-old child, and wounded more than 20 others. The high death toll lead to a backlash against Turkey by all sides in Iraq.
Turkey denied responsibility for the strikes, accusing the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The Turkish military has been conducting an operation against the group’s cells in the Kurdistan Region since April.
The Iraqi government rejected the Turkish claims and called on Ankara to apologies and pull all of its troops out from its territory.
Despite of the Iraqi backlash, the Turkish military shelled Zakho’s resorts again after the drone attack on Bamerne base. More than 20 artillery shells hit the district. Nevertheless, no casualties were reported this time.
Turkey is apparently planning to ignore its deadly strikes on Zakho and continue its military operations against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region. This will likely provoke a fierce response by the PKK and pro-Iranian factions, who have been allegedly coordinating against the Turkish military.
