Iraqi military official: The drone that hit Kurdish forces came from Turkey

A senior Iraqi military official denounced the drone attack that killed three counter-terrorism personnel in the Kurdistan region, stating that the drone entered Iraqi airspace from Turkey. 

The official expressed strong disapproval of such repeated aggressions that do not align with the principles of good neighborly relations between nations.

The drone strike occurred on Monday, targeting the agricultural airport near the city of Sulaymaniyah, the second-largest city in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, which is primarily used for crop dusting purposes. The attack resulted in the death of three members of the counter-terrorism unit in the region and injured three others.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by the spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Major General Yahya Rasool, it was noted that on "Monday, September 18th, at exactly 17:00, an unmanned aircraft entered Iraqi airspace through the border with Turkey and targeted the Arabat Airport."

The official considered this act of aggression a violation of Iraq's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, emphasizing that Iraq retains the right to address such violations. 

He also pointed out that these recurring attacks do not align with the principles of good neighborly relations and pose a threat to Iraq's efforts to establish positive and balanced political, economic, and security relationships with its neighbors.

Security forces in Kurdistan are rarely targeted in such attacks, despite the region experiencing sporadic shelling attributed to Turkey and Iran. These attacks often target Kurdish opposition factions from both countries, who have maintained a presence in northern Iraq for decades.

The United Nations Mission in Iraq condemned the attack, stating that security concerns should be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy rather than military strikes.

Northern Iraq has been caught in the crossfire of the ongoing conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey and its Western allies classify as a "terrorist organization." Turkey has maintained military bases in northern Iraq for 25 years to combat PKK insurgents who have training camps and support bases in the region.

On Sunday, four fighters, including a "senior official" from the Kurdistan Workers' Party, were killed when a "Turkish army drone" targeted their vehicle in the Sinjar area of northern Iraq, according to a statement from the counter-terrorism unit in the Kurdistan region.

In April 2023, Iraq accused Turkey of conducting "shelling" in the vicinity of Sulaymaniyah Airport, the second-largest city in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. These strikes occurred while US forces and the commander of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces were present at the airport.



AFP