More civilians injured in Kurdistan Region of Iraq following agreement by Iran and Turkey to coordinate military operations

NOHADRA, Iraq — A day after the Iranian–Turkish agreement to coordinate their attacks on the on the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), the Iranian Army has bombed the Berbezna mountains in the Pradost region north of Erbil, on the Turkish border in he Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI).

Although Turkey announced the official end of ground operations on Sunday, its air campaign continues with Turkish warplanes carrying out several attacks in the Amedi district in Nohadra (Duhok) Province.

The latest Turkish air strikes injured three civilians and sparked fires which burned large areas of fields and agricultural land.

The PKK has been in armed conflict with the Turkish state since the 1980s and PJAK with the Iranian state since 2004.

The Turkish military operations, which have been ongoing since mid-June, have resulted in a number of civilian casualties and the displacement of thousands of Christian Chaldeans–Syriacs–Assyrians and Yezidis.

Ostensibly targeting the PKK and PJAK, Turkish drone and air strikes have repeatedly targeted areas without a PKK presence, according to locals.

Human Rights Watch has criticized Turkey for the carelessness of its military operation.

A committee formed by Baghdad near the start of the Turkish operation found that 504 villages have been evacuated due to repeated shelling and air strikes by Turkish forces.

National authorities have done little to stop the Turkish operation despite the deaths of several high-ranking officers of the Iraqi Border Guards. Regional authorities have been silent or have tacitly approved of the foreign operations being conducted on its territory.

Some officials in the Kurdistan Regional Government, most notable President Nechirvan Barzani, have gone so far as to meet with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Turkey who stated via Twitter, “Hosted President Nechirvan Barzani of KRG and his delegation. Discussed our relations, in particular the joint fight against PKK.”