Turkish airstrikes hit Kurdistan’s Duhok

Shafaq News - Duhok

Turkish warplanes struck locations in Mount Metina, overlooking the Al-Amadiya district north of Duhok, a security source informed Shafaq News on Saturday.

The strikes targeted a fortified cave in Mewin Valley near the village of Guharze, an area known to serve as a weapons cache for fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara, the United States, and the European Union, the PKK has been involved in armed conflict with Turkiye for the past 40 years.

A recent report by the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) documented 550 Turkish attacks between June 1 and June 30, including 525 artillery shellings and 25 airstrikes. Operations have been heavily concentrated in Duhok province, especially the Al-Amadiya district, accounting for 98% of the attacks. Only nine shellings were recorded in Sidakan, Erbil province.

Meanwhile, on Friday, dozens of PKK fighters burned their weapons inside Jasna cave, located between Dukan district and al-Sulaymaniyah city. This symbolic act marks an initial step toward disarmament, the cessation of military operations, and a shift toward political engagement within Turkiye.

This development follows a recent declaration by PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan that the party has abandoned its goal of establishing a Kurdish nation-state in Turkiye.