New Turkish drone attack hits near Erbil

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Al Mayadeen correspondent in Baghdad reported Saturday that a Turkish drone targeted Sidekan in Soran District, Erbil Governorate, northern Iraq.

Similarly, Iraqi media sources reported that a Turkish Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) targeted Saturday morning a site belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) near Erbil in the Iraqi Kurdistan region, Erbil.

Shafaq News Agency cited a source as saying that "the Turkish aerial bombardment targeted a fortified area of the PKK in Soran's Sidekan sub-district."

"The size of the damages was not immediately clear," the source noted.

The news agency also cited Friday a military source as saying that a fire broke out in the Amedi district in Duhok as a result of Turkish shelling that targeted PKK militants.

According to the source, a fire broke out in the civilians' farms, adding that firefighting teams were not able to reach the damaged areas.

Iraq asks UNSC for resolution to request Turkey withdraw troops

It is noteworthy that late last month, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein told journalists that he asked the United Nations Security Council to adopt a resolution requesting that Turkey withdraw its troops from the Iraqi Kurdistan region.

The Iraqi Minister pointed out that his country believes that the situation between Iraq and Turkey should be on the UN Security Council agenda because these kinds of activities cause concern.

In April, Turkey's Defense Ministry announced that Ankara has launched a major cross-border military offensive against PKK militants in northern Iraq.

The Turkish Foreign Minister Hulisi Akar claimed that the Turkish forces are only targeting "terrorists", and they are taking extra precautions to avoid civilian casualties and damage to cultural heritage, but several civilians were killed in the process. 

The office of the Iraqi President Barham Salih considered that the Turkish offensive is a threat to the country's national security, while Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu claimed that Turkey's goal is to protect its borders.

Iraqi Army general: Turkish mobilization taking place at borders

Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army Abdel Emir Yarallah had confirmed that Turkish mobilization is taking place on the country's borders.

He highlighted that there are five main bases in northern Iraq for the Turkish forces, explaining that the "bases include more than 4,000 Turkish fighters." 

Yarallah pointed out that the number of military positions for the Turkish army in 2021 was 40, while today, there are 100 military positions inside Iraqi territory, renewing calls to "send forces from the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga to these areas to take back lands."

Signs of a diplomatic dispute erupted between Iraq and Turkey after Baghdad accused Ankara of launching a missile attack on a tourist resort in the northern Iraqi province of Duhok, killing nine people, including children, and wounding dozens.

However, Ankara denied responsibility for the attack and said the PKK bears responsibility for the bombing of Duhok.