Turkiye intensifies Iraqi Kurdistan operations
Shafaq News
Turkish military operations in Iraqi Kurdistan continued steadily throughout June, according to the latest report by the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT).
The report documented 550 Turkish attacks between June 1 and June 30, including 525 artillery shellings and 25 airstrikes. Operations were overwhelmingly concentrated—98%—in Duhok province, particularly the Al-Amadiya district. Only nine shellings were recorded in Sidakan, Erbil province.
Although the monthly increase in strikes was modest—up 8% from May—overall activity remains above pre-ceasefire levels. Analysts attribute the focus to Ankara’s effort to establish a buffer zone devoid of PKK presence near the border.
Meanwhile, PKK militants carried out four suicide drone attacks on Turkish military bases in Sgire on June 16 and 24, which they described as defensive responses to ongoing operations.
Since January, 1,678 Turkish army strikes have been recorded across the Kurdistan Region: 1,484 in Duhok, 140 in Erbil, and 54 in Al-Sulaymaniyah. The violence has left three civilians dead and six injured.
Earlier today, dozens of male and female PKK fighters set fire to their weapons inside the Jasana cave between Dukan and Al-Sulaymaniyah, symbolizing the group’s first formal step toward disarmament, the end of armed struggle, and a shift toward political engagement in Turkiye.
