Explosions near Turkish "Zilikan" Military Site in Northern Iraq
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Al Mayadeen reports explosions were heard in the vicinity of the Turkish "Zilikan" base in Bashiqa, northern Iraq.
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Turkey pays close attention to the northern Iraqi region where PKK fighters are active
An Al Mayadeen correspondent reported hearing explosions near the "Zilikan" Turkish military base, in the vicinity of the Bashiqa, Nineveh city in northern Iraq.
The northern Iraqi region is closely monitored by Turkey, where there are Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) fighters. Turkish air forces regularly target PKK fighters in fortified areas such as the Qandil Mountains.
Last year in June, sources revealed to the Turkish publication Yenisafak, that Turkey intends to establish 3 new military bases in northern Iraq,
According to the newspaper, the intention of establishing these bases was to "prevent the return of PKK fighters" to the northern Iraqi provinces, who were subjected to a Turkish military campaign aimed at ousting them at the time.
In early May, intermittent confrontations occurred in the region of Gesta, in Iraq's far north, between the Turkish army and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters. Residents of some villages fled their homes due to the Turkish bombing, the majority of the villages in the Duhok's "Kani Masi" area.
The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Baghdad previously informed the Turkish ambassador of its condemnation of the Turkish intrusion into its territory, adding that it would seek the assistance of the United Nations and international bodies, detailing its belief that Turkey was using the protection of its national security to assault Iraq's sovereignty.
