Turkish Forces Bomb PKK Targets; 55 Killed in Iraq

According to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, Turkish forces have advanced about 30 kilometers (19 miles) inside Iraq. Their goal is to eradicate Kurdistan Workers’ Party (P.K.K.) bases if Iraqi forces are unable to do the job themselves. The guerrilla group is seeking a Kurdish state in eastern Turkey and has been fighting a guerrilla war for over 30 years. Separately, the Turkish military reported neutralizing 64 guerrillas in Iraq during the first week of June. The euphemism “neutralized” means either killed or captured; however, it is unlikely that any guerrillas were captured in airstrikes. That figure is higher by 55 dead than previously reported.

At least 66 people were killed and 23 more were wounded in recent violence:

In Kirkuk, a bomb was triggered in a crowded market when shoppers were gathering to break their Ramadan fast; as many as seven were killed and 14 were wounded. A second bomb wounded a man near a coffee shop. Also, a rocket left no casualties at a school.

Gunmen killed two people and wounded two more in Abu Saida.

One person was killed, and another was wounded when a bomb exploded in Jabara.

A bomb in Tuz Khormato wounded three militiamen.

Two militiamen were shot and wounded in Jurf al-Sakhar (Jurf al-Nasr).

Security forces killed a militant in Hawija.

Author: Margaret Griffis
