HDP denounces Turkish drone strike on journalists, cites "genocide" against Kurds

Shafaq News/ On Saturday, the Turkish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), supporting Kurdish causes, condemned the recent Turkish drone strike that targeted journalists in Al-Sulaymaniyah of the Kurdistan Region (KRI).

Hikmet Hatip, the HDP’s representative in the KRI, addressed the media in Erbil, denouncing “the attack that resulted in the deaths of two Kurdish journalists and injured six other individuals,” accusing Turkiye of “indiscriminately killing innocent civilians, including children and women.”

“These attacks are part of a deliberate campaign against journalists who expose Turkiye's crimes against the Kurdish people, but they will not diminish the resolve of women journalists in their struggle.”

In this context, Hatip urged human rights organizations to “address these violations,” calling on the Kurdish population to respond to what he described as “a genocide” committed by Ankara.

According to information from a Shafaq News Agency reporter, a Turkish drone targeted a Jetour company vehicle transporting journalists on a road between Said Sadiq and Halabja yesterday, while they were en route to film a television program.

The deceased journalists have been identified as Hero Bahaddin, 29, from the KRI, and Gullistan Tara from Northern Kurdistan (Turkiye), while another journalist who was accompanying them sustained minor injuries and is being treated at Said Sadiq Hospital. The bodies of the victims have been sent to the forensic medicine department for further examination and legal procedures.

All three individuals were journalists working for a channel affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which opposes the Turkish government.

PKK has a significant and complex presence in Al-Sulaymaniyah.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the dominant party in Al-Sulaymaniyah, has had a complex relationship with the PKK, characterized by both periods of cooperation and notable tension.

The PKK's presence in Al-Sulaymaniyah has raised security concerns for both the Iraqi government and Turkiye, with the latter frequently accusing the PKK of using Iraqi territory, especially in the KRI, as a base for launching operations against Turkish forces, thus fueling ongoing regional friction.