A Turkish drone strike in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region killed two female journalists, Hero Baha’uddin and Golestan Tara, on Aug. 23. Both journalists worked for local Kurdish media outlet Sterk TV and were traveling near the village of Teperash in Sulaimaniyah province when the strike hit, according to local reports. The strike targeted a vehicle believed to be carrying members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The PKK, a Kurdish separatist organization, has engaged in an armed conflict with Turkey since the 1980s. Northern Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) confirmed that the strike killed a PKK official, along with his guard and their driver. It remains unclear whether the journalists were in the same vehicle as the PKK members or if multiple vehicles were involved. In addition to the fatalities, the attack also injured six other journalists.
Qubad Talabani, deputy prime minister of the KRG, condemned the strike and stressed that the journalists were civilians who should not have been targeted. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists also condemned the killings of the reporters.
The Turkish government has not commented specifically on the attack, but said that 19 PKK “terrorists” were killed in strikes on northern Iraq.
From Jurist, Aug. 25. Used with permission.
See our last reports on Turkish miitary operations against the PKK and aligned Kurdish groups in both Iraq and Syria.
Photo: Rudaw
