Turkish artillery targets PKK positions in Northern Duhok in New Year's Eve

Shafaq News/ Turkish artillery targeted positions belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in the north of Duhok, a security source in Duhok reported on Wednesday

The source told Shafaq News that heavy artillery hit "the vicinity of the villages of Balafa, Barji, and Sargali, in the Mount Gara and Mount Matin areas overlooking Al-Amadiya district " adding that "the Turkish army used tank-mounted artillery and medium-sized weapons in the attack."

The extent of human and material losses resulting from the shelling has not yet been determined, the source noted.

These areas have been subjected to intense shelling for more than a week by the Turkish army, which has a strong presence on the peaks of Mount Matin.

He explained that "the bombardment targets positions in complex geographical conditions that make it difficult to reach those locations or accurately assess the losses."

Notably, Turkiye conducts operations to combat the PKK, which targets its forces and citizens and operates in several countries in the region, including Iraq, Syria, and Iran.

The PKK has established a stronghold in the Qandil Mountains in the KRI and is active in various cities, regions, and valleys, launching attacks on Turkish territory from there.

The conflict between Turkiye and the PKK has its origins in the early 1980s when the PKK began its armed struggle for an independent Kurdish state within Turkiye. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, this conflict escalated into a full-scale insurgency, with the PKK employing guerrilla tactics and the Turkish military responding with major operations targeting PKK strongholds, both within Turkiye and across the border in northern Iraq.